Entaku Manlako: Indigenous Bazaar and Cultural Marketplace at Habing Katutubo 2025
- Ernst June Camilo Agbayani
- Jan 5
- 2 min read
Entaku Manlako, the Indigenous bazaar and cultural marketplace of Habing Katutubo 2025, transformed the venue into a vibrant hub of creativity, commerce, and cultural exchange on November 29–30, 2025, at the SMX Convention Center Aura. Designed as a community-centered space, Entaku Manlako foregrounded Indigenous artisans, weavers, and creative entrepreneurs—placing livelihood, authorship, and ethical trade at the heart of the event.
More than a bazaar, Entaku Manlako functioned as a cultural commons where stories accompanied products and makers engaged directly with the public. The marketplace showcased the diversity of Philippine Indigenous craftsmanship—from handwoven textiles and garments to accessories, art pieces, and heritage-inspired goods—each grounded in tradition and contemporary practice.
Reinforcing Habing Katutubo’s commitment to fair collaboration and sustainable livelihoods, Entaku Manlako enabled direct exchange between makers and consumers, ensuring transparency, proper attribution, and economic empowerment for source communities.
The marketplace was thoughtfully organized into distinct sections that reflected both cultural depth and contemporary creativity. Textiles and Threads featured Indigenous and heritage-based fashion and weaving enterprises such as Namarabar Ethnic Product, Obra Katutubo Arts & Crafts, Baguio’s Closet, MA Woven Designs, Salkayak, Pinilian Abel Iloco, Lummie, Tribo Estilo, and Tuwas Yakan. Local Taste brought together community-driven food and lifestyle initiatives including Habing Katutubo Collective, Oh My Gulay, and Pepper ng Ina Mo, offering flavors rooted in place and advocacy.
The Arts and Crafts section highlighted creative expression through OEUVRE Galerie, MYSTIQUE, and Buscalan Trad’l Artist, while Advocacy Booths such as KAMARE, The Hope Project, and Sinagued emphasized social engagement, education, and cultural sustainability. Expanding the marketplace’s reach, Global Finds featured Chefkoch, Ifern, MG Group Inc., Kiyoi, REH Kings Empire Corp, and IYASHI, adding an international dimension aligned with the event’s ethical and creative values.
As a parallel program to the fashion showcases, Entaku Manlako served as a living extension of the runway—allowing visitors to trace garments back to materials, techniques, and communities, bridging appreciation with understanding and consumption with responsibility.
Throughout the two-day event, Entaku Manlako fostered meaningful connections among weavers, designers, students, collectors, and advocates, sparking collaborations and partnerships that extended beyond the event.
Entaku Manlako stood as a cornerstone of Habing Katutubo 2025—where culture met commerce with care, and where Indigenous creativity was not only celebrated, but sustained.
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