17 June 2014 – Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago opened the 7-day Filipino Food Festival in Lulu Hypermarket in Riyadh on June 12.

Lulu Hypermarket organizes the annual food festival to introduce and showcase the wealth and range of products coming from the Philippines to the local market and to other nationalities.  The food festival is also an opportunity for Filipinos to participate in celebrating our National Day. 

Lulu Hypermarket is a leader in organized retail and has a strong presence in all Gulf countries, namely, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.  Regardless of its cosmopolitan clientele and environment, Lulu is best known among Filipinos as the “hypermarket of choice” for its wide-range selection of Philippine products.

During the event, Embassy officers and staff, as well as other guests, were treated to an array of Filipino dishes and delicacies such as longganisa, tapa, fried daing, adobo, kare-kare, binagoongan, dinakdakan, sweet and sour, sapin-sapin, suman, among others. Filipino fruits such as banana, pinapple, turnips, avocado, were also available.

During his visit, Ambassador Tago expressed his appreciation to Lulu Hypermarket for organizing the food festival, which is now on its fourth year. He said that it was heartwarming to see the interest and enthusiasm of the Saudis and other foreigners towards Filipino products, in general, and the various dishes and delicacies that were prepared, in particular. With the availability of Filipino products at Lulu, he likewise encouraged Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to take pride in our products by “buying Filipino” and promoting it to their Saudi and expatriate friends.  END