A group of Pala’wan women engaged in handicraft production is looking for potential buyers and assistance to help market their products and augment their income.
Rosalyn Mahali of the Katutubong Kabiyagan ng Sitio Malutok (KKSM) said that the products produced by their association are all inspired by their traditional items, such as various sizes of baskets, bags, and plates.
Their group started producing products for years, but only started to formalize operations and register themselves as a cooperative in 2019.
“Sa dami ng insekto kaya hindi nakakakaingin, ito ang ginagawa namin. Pinagkukunan namin ito ng aming pampaaral at panggastos sa aming pangangailangan. Nakadepende lang kami sa mga order,” she said.
The IP women have been selling their products in the public market and trying to establish a long-term linkage with buyers. However, the pandemic made it harder for them as they were restricted from going out and delivering the orders to some buyers.
Mahali is confident that they can handle the large bulk of orders if given a chance as they have 20 families working together. Each product needs time to be completed as they involve manual processing to complete.
The group sourced their materials from bamboo, nito, and rattan.
“Ang aming pangunahing produkto ay pagkakaingin. Ito ay sinasaglit namin kung wala kami ginagawa, lahat ay gumagawa nito. Tini-train na rin namin ang mga bata para hindi mawala ang kultura namin,” she said.
“Ngayon wala pa kami mabentahan kaya natambay lang ang produkto. Ito ay binabase namin sa mga kagamitan namin, matibay ito at hindi nasisira agad maliban lang kapag nauulanan. Pero ito ay pangmatagalan,” she added.
Mahali is confident that it could raise the group’s income if the group were linked to buyers outside Barangay Ransang.
Mahali may be reached through the numbers 09095235006 and 09309637517 for inquiries and orders.
