Filipino Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago graced yesterday the opening of the 10-day Philippine food festival at the sprawling LuLu Hypermarket in Murabba district in Riyadh, which coincided with the country's 115th Independence Day celebration.

“I myself have been shopping here in LuLu because of the variety of fresh food items and products from the Philippines. I'm not surprised that many Filipinos shop at LuLu Hypermaket. There are also other products for other expatriates,” he said.

He called on the Filipino community to also visit the hypermarket for their favorite food products back home in the Philippines. “I also thank LuLu Hypermarket for employing many Filipinos who are working as cashiers, merchandisers, assistants at the take-out lines, among others,” he said.

Paul Greenfield, LuLu's operations manager for the Kingdom, said more Filipinos will be hired when LuLu sets up a branch along Khurais Road in Riyadh and another one in Jeddah during the next eights months.

Saleem V. K., LuLu’s regional manager for the Central Province, expressed his thanks to the Filipino envoy who managed to grace the occasion despite his hectic schedule.

He also cited Lulu's Filipino staff for their facility with the English language, adding that “they are easy to deal with, friendly, and hardworking with a ready smile for customers.”

The Filipino envoy also toured the display area for Filipino food products inside LuLu. He stopped at every display area for quite sometime with Filipino staff, customers and students posing for souvenir photos with him.

As he walked from one display area to another, he was trailed by International Philippine School (IPSR) students clad in traditional costumes like barong tagalog for the boys and Igorot and Maria Clara dresses for the girls.