The municipal government here is intensifying efforts to ensure continued livelihood and future career opportunities for its hundreds of skilled bakers, in part, by strengthening the town’s branding as the country’s “Home of Bakers.”

Towards this goal, Cuenca’s leadership drew inspiration from the bakery industry in choosing a theme for this town’s 147th founding anniversary.

Mayor Alex Magpantay, himself a baker, on Tuesday said Cuenca is the only town in the Philippines to put bread-making at the center of its anniversary celebration.

“The celebration in our town will be happier and more successful if we are united,” he said during one of the activities highlighting the festivities.

The week-long celebration, with the theme “Tinapay ay daan tungo sa maunlad na bayan kaya’t ipagdiwang pagka’t ito’y isang karangalan (Bread paves the way for municipal progress so let us celebrate it because it brings us honor,” began on Oct. 31 and will end on Nov. 8.

As part of this year’s anniversary events, the local government organized baking seminars in an effort to upskill its resident bakers in partnership with different suppliers of bakery equipment and inputs.

The event also features a Baker’s Marketplace Display on the municipal grounds where locals and tourists can purchase oven-fresh delicacies from different Batangueño-owned bakeries.

Lucito Chavez, president of Asosasyon ng Panaderong Pilipino (APP), said this celebration promotes awareness of the importance of the bakery industry to the livelihood of every “Cuenqueño.”

“Everyone must continue to look for room for improvement. We must preserve the importance of pandesal-making in the culture of Filipinos through Cuenca bakers,” he told the Philippine News Agency.

Chavez lamented that large multinational bakeries have positioned themselves in the Philippine market, and are slowly eating away at the market share once being served by community bakeries.

To remain competitive, he underscored the urgent need to train local bakers in product research and development, as well as in the management of bakeries and bread-related businesses.

Chavez said an overseas market for Filipino baked products already exists, as pandesal, sometimes called “Asian bread”, is already recognized in the United States.

He recalled that Cuenca bakers were behind the hot pandesal craze during the 1970s and 1980s.

Chavez is appealing to both the local and national government to support the survival and growth of the Philippine baking industry.

The APP is a group of community bakers who trace their roots in this town while operating bakery businesses in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. (PNA)