By Tara Yap

The sweet mangoes of the island province of Guimaras has a geographical branding.
Rebecca Rascon, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-6) regional director, said Guimaras mangoes have been given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
This certifies the mangoes are grown and produced by members of Guimaras Mango Growers and Producers Development Cooperative.
“People associate sweet mangoes from Guimaras. But there are those that claim mangoes grown in other areas are from Guimaras,” Rascon noted.
The launch of GI tag highlights this year’s Manggahan Festival, which ends on May 22. The mango festival also coincides with the 25th founding anniversary of Guimaras, which was previously part of Iloilo province.
Guimaras Governor Samuel Gumarin also established Task Force Golden Island. This is to strongly enforce that non-Guimaras mangoes cannot be sold in the local market.
Meanwhile, Guimaras Tourism Officer Liberty Ferrer said 10.4 tons of mangoes are prepared for the mango eat-all-you-can./WDJ

caption:
MANGO GALORE—Mangoes from the island province of Guimaras now have a geographical branding. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) launched a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Guimaras mangoes that are believed to be the world’s sweetest variety. (Tara Yap)