PH, Spain Sign MOU on Madrid Fusion Manila 2016

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippines is confirmed to host the second year of Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) scheduled to take place on 7 - 9 April 2016. This was formalized in a signing ceremony between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and ICEX España Exportacion e Inversiones, the public export promotion agency under the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Kingdom of Spain, held on 26 November 2015 at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were DOT Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. and Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade Jaime Garcia-Legaz. Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Calvo; Deputy Director for Trade Policy with Europe and Asia, Maria Aparici; Advisor to the Secretary of State for Trade, Mar Casanova; Cultural Affairs First Secretary, Guillermo Escribano; Economic and Commercial Counsellor of Spain, Enrique Feas, with Joji Gregorio of Tourism Promotions Board and DOT Market Development Group Officer-in-Charge Director Verna Buensuceso witnessed the intimate ceremony.

“No event deserves repeated celebrations than Madrid Fusion Manila. Not only because it was expertly executed, not only because it was well attended, not only because it was roundly applauded, but more because it was a journey of rediscovery, a renewal of friendship, and of kinship,” Tourism Secretary Jimenez said during the signing ceremony which elicited rounds of applause from guests that include Filipino chef Margarita Fores, representatives of the Philippine Association of Convention / Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS), and members from the media.

(L-R) DOT Dir. Verna C. Buensuceso OIC - Market Development Group; H.E. Luis Calvo, Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines; DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.; H.E. Jaime Garcia-Legaz, Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade; Mr. Enrique Feas, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of Spain; and Mr. Joselito V. Gregorio, Head, Finance Department, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).

Madrid Fusion, Spain’s famed culinary event, has been celebrated annually in Madrid since 2003. Similar to Madrid Fusion Manila 2015 –the first and only Asian edition – the second run in 2016 will bring together the world’s top-rated chefs and most acclaimed avant-garde chefs from across the globe.

Secretary Jimenez also reiterated the Philippines’ hosting of Madrid Fusion Manila in 2016 as a great honor, while describing the first edition in 2015 a “truly delicious success to experience over and over, as it proved to be an emotional reunion between close friends who have not shared a meal in a very long time. MFM 2015’s opening day was a realization that it was not just your ordinary food festival, but a gastronomical milestone for the Philippines,” the tourism chief vividly recalled.

In his response, Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade Jaime Garcia-Legaz expressed great pleasure to be an active member of this second edition and “to put together another year of one of the most prestigious events in the world is but a great honor for Spain. Madrid Fusion Manila 2015 has placed the Philippines in the world gastronomical map,” Secretary Legaz shared.

(L-R) Mr. Enrique Feas, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of Spain; Margarita Fores, President of Cibo, Inc.; DOT Dir. Verna C. Buensuceso; Ms. Mar Casanova, Advisor to the Secretary of State for Trade, Spain; H.E. Luis Calvo, Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines; DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.; H.E. Jaime Garcia-Legaz, Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade; Ms. Maria Aparici Gonzalez, Spain’s Deputy Director General of the Department on Trade Policy with Europe and Asia; Mr. Joselito V. Gregorio, Head, Finance Department, TPB; and Mr. Guillermo Escribano, First Secretary, Cultural Affairs of the Spanish Embassy.

According to the Spanish Secretary, “there is no better way to celebrate our common cultural history but through enjoying and appreciating good food and wine,” relating to Madrid Fusion’s culinary tradition.

The initial batch of chef presenters for 2016 includes Joan Roca of El Cellar de Can Roca Restaurant in Catalonia, Spain (3 Michelin stars, No.1 and one of the world’s 50 best restaurants), Yoshihiro Narisawa of Les Creations de Narisawa Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan (2 Michelin stars, No.2 and Asia’s 50 best restaurants), Dani Garcia of Bibo Andalussian Brasserie and Tapas in Malaga, Spain (2 Michelin stars) and Virgilio Martinez of Central Restaurante in Lima, Peru (1 Michelin star, No.1 with distinction as one of the world’s and Latin America’s 50 best restaurants).

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