Tahum 2026 celebrates Filipino creativity, backs scholars

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By Mariela Angella Oladive

Tahum: A Pop-Up Festival 2026, the largest pop-up festival in Western Visayas, once again transformed the Iloilo Convention Center into a vibrant convergence of creativity, culture, and advocacy from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.

Organized by the Assumption Iloilo Educational Foundation Inc., the three-day event gathered creatives, entrepreneurs, artists, and advocates from different parts of the country.

This year’s edition featured more than 75 exhibitors from Western Visayas, Luzon, Cebu, and Bohol, along with over 40 visual artists showcasing works that reflected both local identity and contemporary Filipino expression.

Themed “Echoes of H.O.P.E. (Harnessing Opportunities & Promises through Education),” the festival coincided with AIEF’s 50th year of service.

Beyond serving as a creative marketplace, the event highlighted the use of arts and enterprise as tools for social impact, particularly in support of education.

“Tahum started in 2019 as a fundraising initiative of AIEF, the education arm of Assumption that supports deserving students from underprivileged families,” said Marjorie Ann C. Florete, president of the foundation.

She said that since its establishment, AIEF has supported more than 750 scholars, with several beneficiaries already having completed their studies.

“All proceeds from Tahum are allocated entirely to the foundation’s scholarship programs, which provide accepted scholars with a full six-year scholarship,” she said.

In addition to student assistance, the foundation continues to invest in faculty development and the improvement of teaching facilities.

“Every time you visit and support Tahum, it directly changes the life of a scholar. We also celebrate Filipino creativity, appreciate what is ours, and while doing that, help transform lives,” Florete added.

With exhibitors and artists coming from various regions across the country, Tahum 2026 served as a platform for showcasing Filipino creativity while advancing an educational cause.