DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines — Many Philippine provinces and towns have carved their names through their famous products and produce. The places and products have become inseparable that hearing a town’s name would invariably conjure images of quality
Pangasinan province, for instance, is widely known for its milkfish, although Dagupan milkfish was first to conquer the culinary world with the fish produced from its fishponds.
Pangasinan is so protective of its produce that it “branded” its milkfish and put a blue tag in its tail to distinguish it from those coming from other provinces.
Grilled milkfish is best dipped in “bagoong” [salted fish paste or shrimp paste] produced in Lingayen town. The Pangasinan capital is noted for producing the best condiment found in most Filipino kitchens and dining tables.
Sual and San Fabian are known for their dried salted fish.
Most probably, the salt used in making bagoong and in preserving the fish comes from Dasol and Infanta towns where hundreds of hectares of salt farms are located.
Calasiao is popular for its “white gold” — sweet, bite-sized “puto” [steamed rice cakes] best eaten with thick hot native chocolate or soup.
Bayambang’s “buro” [fermented rice-and-fish mix] is known among food enthusiasts. Jugs of vinegar are found on stalls along the highways of Binalonan and Bugallon.
San Carlos City is acknowledged for its bamboo craft and its luscious mangoes.
Mangaldan is recognized as the place to go to when one craves tasty “tapa” [processed beef strips] while nearby Mapandan is known for its molasses and muscovado sugar.
Natalie Basto-Dalaten of the Department of Trade and Industry office in Pangasinan said most towns had adopted their traditional products as their One Town, One Product (OTOP) items.
Other towns joined the bandwagon by adopting a produce or product that they just recently developed.
Sto. Tomas, for instance, trained many residents to make bags and other décor from cornhusks after adopting corn as its OTOP.
Bugallon chose to develop “duhat” [native blackberry] wine instead of improving on its “nipa” vinegar. Urdaneta City recently adopted squash as its favored product after the city’s training center developed different recipes from the vegetable.
Alaminos City takes pride in its tourism prospects because of the Hundred Islands National Park while Balungao is cashing in on its goat trade.
Dalaten said while these towns have become a byword because of their products, none has registered the town or city as a brand name.
She said a tapa maker in Mangaldan once tried to register the town’s name, but the local government refused to give its consent.
Local officials, she said, refused because they anticipated that many residents would make tapa and it would be unfair if only one will be allowed to use the town’s name as its brand name.
Dalaten said some businessmen resort to registering a brand name for their products and produce but they would include the name of their town or city, in bold letters, in the labels.
She said many local 
“But other [local governments] do not care and local businessmen are left on their own,” she said.
The Department of Trade and Industry has been helping the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the province through product caravans. It recently organized the Panangidayew (the Pangasinan word for “giving praise”) 2008, the first provincial OTOP trade fair and exhibit held at the Market! Market! in Metro Manila.
Peter Mangabat, the department’s Pangasinan director, said 24 MSMEs and eight local governments showcased their OTOP items and promoted their cities and towns as an investment havens.
The five-day event generated around P3 million and linked local producers to institutional buyers and traders in Metro Manila, he said.
“It is also an eye opener to our local MSMEs to further improve and diversify their products so it would suit the taste of the changing market with the goal of selling quality products at affordable prices,” Mangabat said.
The Department of Trade and Industry also assist MSMEs in product development, packaging and labeling to improve competitiveness in the local and international
Does this mean that Urdaneta will soon be having a kalabasa festival? Let's wait and see.
Comments