Philippines Raises Filipino Spirit at WTO Public Forum
Rum Joint Initiative
Ambassador Bernard Faustino Dy (left) of the Philippine Embassy in Berne, and Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee (right) extend their support to the Don Papa Rums.
GENEVA 18 September 2024 - The Philippines raised the bar for Filipino Rums by participating in the Rum Joint Initiative: A Charity Event, which brought down the curtain on the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum, which was held on 10-13 September 2024 at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Philippines, with the support of the World Spirits Alliance and sponsorship from Diageo, joined the Rum Competition with two Don Papa Rums: the Mt. Kanlaon (aged up to 6 years) and the Masskara (spiced rum with calamansi and siling labuyo). Other competition categories were White Rum, Premium Aged (aged for 6 to 10 years), Premium Aged (aged for 11 to 15 years), and Super Premium (aged for 15 years or more).
Aside from the special categories, Masskara and Mt. Kanlaon bagged second and third places out of the 44 competing rums in the People’s Choice category. Mauritius’ New Grove Single Cast Vintage won the said category garnering 23.7 percent of the vote.
The Philippines was the only Asian country to participate, alongside 14 other participating countries, which were mostly from the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) countries.
The Philippine Mission to the WTO also introduced the concept of a sari-sari store to other WTO delegations and stakeholders, which is a small, usually family-run business and a one- stop shop for everyday essentials. The resilience of the sari-sari store concept is consistent with the Filipino culture of companionship (pakikisama) and the spirit of fiesta, which reflects the role of this traditional MSME as a focal point for social interaction within local communities.
By promoting this tradition, the Philippines was able to foster pakikisama with more than 500 guests of the Public Forum, who represented a wide cross section of academics, industry representatives, trade negotiators and NGOs.
Prior to the event, the Philippines was led by Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee, Congressman Jose Manuel Alba and Former Congresswoman Malou Alba, Mr. Raymond Albert Batac and Ms. Clariza Columna of PTIC-Geneva met with the Ms. Helen Medina, CEO of World Spirits Alliance, and Mr. Dominic Goudie, Senior International Trade Manager, Diageo (owner of Don Papa) to discuss prospects for future collaboration. END
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala having a taste of the Don Papa Masskara Rum.
WTO Director Santiago Wills (third from the left) joined the Philippine Mission for a group photo with the Don Papa Rums.
For more information, visit https://wtopm.dfa.gov.ph/