Central Luzon MSME Trade Fair Tops Target With P58.49 Million in Orders and Sales Leads
Key Takeaways
- •The 28th Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair exceeded its P38-million sales goal by 53.55%, producing P58.49 million in orders and sales leads.
- •This year's total of P58.49 million slightly surpassed the P57.85 million recorded at the 2025 edition by roughly P640,000, or about 1.1%.
- •The results include P22.6 million in direct cash sales, P26.64 million in booked orders and P9.2 million in pending negotiations, with the pending deals the only portion not yet finalized.
- •Around 151 MSMEs from Central Luzon participated in the five-day fair, which ran from Sept. 23 to 27 in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.
- •The DTI stages regional fairs to broaden market access for provincial producers, as MSMEs form the overwhelming majority of registered Philippine businesses and employ a substantial share of the workforce.
MANILA — The Department of Trade and Industry (DT) said a recent trade fair for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) based in Central Luzon generated P58.49 million worth of orders and sales leads, comfortably beating its target.
“The five-day trade fair surpassed its P38-million sales target by 53.55%,” the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
The total comprises P22.6 million in direct cash sales, P26.64 million in booked orders and P9.2 million in pending negotiations — the last covering deals still under discussion rather than completed purchases, and the only component of the tally not yet finalized. This year’s result also topped the P57.85 million recorded at the 2025 edition of the fair by roughly P640,000, or about 1.1%. How much of the pending amount converts into booked orders is the main open question left by this year’s results.
About 151 MSMEs from the region took part in the 28th Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair, a long-running DTI-led platform that ran from Sept. 23 to 27 in Mandaluyong City in Metro Manila.
“Bringing Central Luzon products to Metro Manila also gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to test their competitiveness and receive direct market feedback,” the DTI said.
Beyond sales, the event was intended to help the region’s MSMEs navigate export rules and to connect them with established exporters.
The DTI stages regional fairs such as Likha ng Central Luzon to widen market access for provincial producers. MSMEs account for the overwhelming majority of registered businesses in the Philippines and employ a substantial share of the country’s workforce, making their development a core pillar of the government’s trade-promotion agenda.
Central Luzon, the administrative region directly north of Metro Manila that includes the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales, grew its economy by 4.5% in 2025, a slowdown from 6.4% the year before.
The fair was organized by DTI Region III in partnership with the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. Region III, the Regional Development Council Region III, SM Supermalls and the Central Luzon Growth Corridor Foundation, Inc.
Trade Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations Leonila T. Baluyut said the agency’s regional trade fairs seek to give provincial entrepreneurs direct access to larger markets and potential long-term buyers.
— Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
