Manila, October 24, 2025 — Manila came alive with festive spirit as Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso led the first-ever Manila Hopia Day celebration at Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, the heart of Binondo.
The event began with the symbolic cutting of a 30-kilogram giant ube hopia, proudly made by Eng Bee Tin, honoring the city’s most iconic delicacy and its deep roots in Manila’s Filipino-Chinese community.
Mayor Isko also distributed 1,000 packs of Eng Bee Tin’s “ETNEB” Hopia — a creative product concept he originally envisioned during his earlier term as Manila mayor. “ETNEB” (which playfully spells “twenty” backwards) reflects his fun, modern approach to celebrating local traditions with a twist.
In his remarks, Mayor Isko recalled how he expressed his dream during the first National Hopia Day organized by Eng Bee Tin — to bring the celebration home to the streets of Manila. This year, that vision came true, as the plaza transformed into a lively hub of food booths, cultural showcases, and hopia sampling.
Eng Bee Tin joined the celebration alongside other hopia manufacturers in the City of Manila, uniting under one purpose: to honor the humble hopia as a shared symbol of heritage and community pride.
“Hopia is more than just a pastry,” said Eng Bee Tin Vice President Royce Gerik Chua. “It’s a bridge between cultures, generations, and stories — and we’re proud to be part of this historic celebration together with our fellow hopia makers.”
The event was made possible through the collaboration of the Manila City Government, the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Arts of Manila (DTCAM), and the Manila Chinatown Development Council.
As the aroma of freshly baked hopia filled the air, the first Manila Hopia Day marked a new chapter — celebrating not only Eng Bee Tin’s long legacy but also the collective spirit of Manila’s hopia community.
This citywide event complements Eng Bee Tin’s annual National Hopia Day, held every July, which continues to promote local pride, creativity, and unity through the Filipino-Chinese community’s shared love for hopia — the pastry that started it all.