The Tubigon Loomweavers Association

What does it take to make P 5,000.00 grow into P 1.5 M?

Just 50 pairs of idle hands.

Until 1990, the wives of farmers and fishers in Tubigon town in Bohol used to sit out their days just waiting for their husbands to return from work. At times, some of them would get a chance to add to their families’ income by selling fish in the neighborhood.

But they never had a sustained means of earning money. Then, in 1990, they were organized into the Tubigon Loomweavers Association.

With a P5,000 grant from the municipal government and the rudiments of weaving that had been passed down for generations, the women built an enterprise that is now the Tubigon Loomweavers Multi-purpose Cooperative (TLMPC).

After years of self-improvement and hard work, P5,000 is what each member earns monthly from the business.

The Tubigon undertaking is part of the One Town One Product (Otop) program of the Philippine government, which partly accounts for hundreds of new jobs created each year.

OTOP started in the Philippines in 2004 following the success of the One Village One Product (OVOP) concept in Japan, which is also being tried in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, some provinces of China, and some cities in the United States.

”We started with practically no skills on weaving raffia but we learned about basics of raw material preparation, handloom preparation and up to the product designing through trainings provided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),” TLMPC president Eutriopia Cosinera said in an interview.

”Now, we have a greater variety in our designs, and we also do requests from buyers. The women also received help from both the local government and the tarde and agrarian reform departments in building a facility that could accommodate 25 handlooms.”

TLMPC uses as raw material the raffia fiber, which is obtained from the young shoot or leaf of the buri palm.

Raffia can be made into wall coverings, upholstery and wrapping materials, hats, mats, bags, and decors, but the group concentrates on rolls of fabric, place mats, table runners, tea mats and coasters.

They sell to retailers based in Metro Manila but some export their products.

“To meet demand and delivery commitments, we also (subcontract jobs to) at least 100 non-members who work in their homes,” Arocha says.

Cooperative’s assets

Membership peaked to about 100, all women, but has shrunk back to 35 because some have relocated and some have “retired” and let their daughters take part in the enterprise.

At its peak, the cooperative’s assets—including the building, equipment, inventory and retained earnings allocated to working capital and operational expenses—reached some P1.5 million.

With 17 years of experience, TLMPC is again building up its size and value.

Cosinero says DTI-provided training helped nurture the business with product development know-how, which prepared the group for trade fairs, exhibits and other marketing activities.

Members were also trained to improve workplace organization and work processes, Cosinero added.

Within this year, TLMPC expects to move into a new building that can house twice the number of looms.

New Sponsors

The Philippine-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP) through the Focused Community Assistance Scheme (FOCAS) Approach provided technical and financial support expanding their production center adding another building that accommodates 40 handlooms. Apart from the production center, a new product display area has been set up to showcase the wares of the cooperative to visiting buyers and tourists.

Since the new production center’s opening in February this year, the cooperative hosts quite a number of tours and Lakbay Aral from students to local government units outside the province.

Ayala Foundation through Bea Zobel, Jr. and Fundacion Santiago also gave their share of support through skills training, product development, marketing support and the provision of improved handlooms for the new production center.