1st Marikina shoe trade fair opens in Davao City

FILE: MARIKINA SHOE TRADE FAIR. Marikina Mayor Marcelino ‘Marcy’ Teodoro (2nd right) and Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte (right) lead the ribbon cutting for the opening of the Marikina Shoe Trade Fair store during the celebration of Kadayawan Festival at the Pasalubong Center in Davao City on Friday (Aug. 23, 2019). The store is the first branch opened in the country. With Mayor Teodoro were members of Philippine Footwear Federation, Inc. (PFFI). (PNA photo by Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan)

DAVAO CITY — A store showcasing shoes made in Marikina City opened here on Friday.

“The shoes being sold there are from various shoemakers in Marikina. These shoes are high-quality shoes which are fashionable at the same time,” Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said at the opening of the first Marikina Shoe Trade Fair store at the Pasalubong Center located in Barangay 34-D, Davao City.

Teodoro said this endeavor was made possible through Marikina City’s sisterhood pact with the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Our sisterhood with Davao City led to establishment of the first Marikina Shoe Trade Fair store in the country. This is the only non-Davao store at their Pasalubong Center. Davao’s warm welcome to Marikina-made products is a proof of the stronger ties, deeper friendship between our cities,” Teodoro said.

He said through this endeavor, Marikina shoe manufacturers will be able to showcase their ingenuity and craftsmanship.

“Setting aside competition, shoemakers and artisans of Marikina City came together to integrate and fortify the local shoe industry. This made possible the idea of having a trade fair in various parts of the country,” he stressed.

Teodoro expressed optimism that the opening of the store at the Pasalubong Center in Davao City will boost the industry of the country’s shoe capital.

“We go local, we find back our niche in the country. Ito ang aming paniniwala sa muling panunumbalik ng pagkabuhay ng industriya ng sapatos. Kaya naman, isang magandang balita ang mangyayari ngayong hapon, ang pagbubukas ng ating store dito sa Pasalubong Center (Our belief is that we will be able to revive the local shoe industry. This is why the opening of our store here at the Pasalubong Center is such a great news),” he said.

Teodoro said shoe manufacturing is more than just a means of livelihood for Marikenyos.

More than just being a means of livelihood, Teodoro said shoe manufacturing has been a vital part of Marikina City residents’ lives.

“The first pair of shoes that was made in the city has become a part of our history and later on became a way of life for many residents. It is through this that our local economy boomed. It has become a part of our identity,” he said.

“We treat this as a labor of love. We make everything with bare hands and with love. Every pair of shoes has its own story – how it was made, who made, why it was made and for whom it was made for,” he added.

Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, who graced the event, lauded the efforts being taken by the Marikina City government, to empower its main industry.

“I salute the people of Marikina for doing a good job in preserving the shoe industry. Let me tell you the reason why. It’s because of what your mayor told me about cultivation of local ingenuity. It’s about craftsmanship. This is what we need in the country now,” Duterte said.

Davao City and other local governments should replicate the efforts of Marikina City to promote their local products for these to be truly world-class, he added.

“I truly believe that Filipinos can really compete in the national and international arenas. So, I hope we can improve and we can do better the things that we do as Filipinos,” Duterte said.

As a token of appreciation, Teodoro gave the presidential son a pair of Marikina-made black leather shoes.

He also said Davao City can open a store in Marikina City, where they can showcase their local products.

Aside from the local government executives, members of the Marikina-based Philippine Footwear Federation, Inc. (PFFI) joined the momentous event, as well as 71-year-old Orlando “Tatay Orly” Santos, who made the shoes worn by President Rodrigo Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA). Santos is a resident of Barangay Sto. Niño, Marikina City.

Teodoro, and a group of shoe manufacturers and shoe entrepreneurs are now working hand-in-hand to boost the city’s shoe industry.

He is happy that the city’s shoe manufacturers work as one and help each other to strengthen the industry.

“They do not treat each other as competitors. Now, it’s collaborative (efforts), they (shoe manufacturers) are helping each other,” the mayor told the Philippine News Agency.

The local chief executive also said shoemaking will soon have a National Certification (NC) from Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Teodoro disclosed that TESDA Director General Isidro Lapeña agreed to his proposition to include shoemaking in TESDA programs.

“I recently talked to TESDA Chief Lapeña and asked him to give shoemaking a national certification or NC. Happy to announce that TESDA, in the next six months, will have a shoemaking accreditation in the next six months,” he said.

“Ang approach namin (Our approach) ay institutional, sinasama namin sa (we want to have it included in the) curriculum because there is a need for skilled workers,” he continued.