Antique's Binirayan Festival is a home to interesting vibrant ventures. Historical Malay Ati Virtual Competition. Tanuman Festival. Lin-ay Kang Antique. Sikad Lagaw. Boat Parade. All these and more sought-after events mirror the rich culture of the province where the lush mountains meet the pristine coastlines.

One of the highlights of the annual festivity delves on Fiesta Binirayan. Situated in the heart of the capital town of San Jose de Buenavista, the Fiesta Binirayan pays tribute to the struggling start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who are slowly carving their names in the biz industry.  

“At the end of the day, these people after the festival have the taste of what it's like to be entrepreneurial and parang crash course. Although this was meant to be an entertainment for the people, it has an ulterior and effective purpose which is gin-obra namon siya nga business incubator,” Perlas explained.  

Previous beneficiaries of the open market were able to accumulate P500,000 to P1 million each. Some of them even mounted their shops out of the bazaar income.

Eating mushrooms, according to Labuson, bears nutritious benefits as it can be a healthy substitute against meat.

She also mentioned that private entities and government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have poured out their support in the technological innovation of the product.

Meanwhile, Kevin Zulueta thanked the provincial government for giving them free space to hone their start-up business called MasaWraps.

pects especially for budding entrepreneurs. He further emphasized that the rigid exercise of health protocols yield to the safe opening of the tourism industry.  

While the Binirayan Festival held every December hoped to gather Antiqueños to their beloved home town, for entrepreneurs, it means something more. It's giving life to the businesses who endured the bittersweet challenges. It's creating opportunities when days seem to be bleak. It's pressing a mark towards the country's socio-economic progress amid the pandemic. (AAL/LML/PIA6)