TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- The PhilExports’ Southern Tagalog Region 4A Association, Inc. (PhilSTAR) is eyeing Bohol as a source of raw materials for its handcrafted products. 

This is after a team of exporters and product designers from PhilSTAR recently visited Bohol during their annual Materials Sourcing Mission where they interacted for five days with the people behind the province’s weaving industry. 

The PhilSTAR team engaged with the basket weavers in Antequera, raffia weavers in Inabanga and Tubigon, romblon weaver in Loon, as well as novelty items manufacturers, wood craftsmen, food processors, and manufacturers of home fixtures, gifts, toys, and accessories, and local government unit representatives. 

PhilSTAR president Dr. Romeo Balderrama, who owns SarilinLikha, a company that manufactures festive and holiday decorations using indigenous materials, led the team who visited the weaving hubs, showcase centers, and souvenir shops in the island to seek out materials his members can use to update their export portfolio. 

Balderrama said their association members are craftsmen, manufacturers and subcontractors engaged in production and sales of housewares, home fixtures, holiday decors using bamboo, nito, rattan, pandan, vines, buntal, twigs, dried flowers and leaves, driftwood, shells, up-cycled sheets, fibers like raffia, maguey, abaca and other indigenous materials. 

Fred Cuaresma, who was part of the PhilSTAR team, described their visit in Bohol as successful as he found the materials in the island to be of top quality. 

“For me, it's a huge success,” said Cuaresma, who owns BRiCS Ventures. 

He said his standard measure of success was based on the variety of the materials they brought back to Manila for possible collaboration. 

Cuaresma said they even got something to bring home, even if their business, BRiCS Ventures, is not into handicrafts export. 

“Marami pong magagandang products ang Bohol and we found these products to be extraordinary. Magaganda po,” Cuaresma said. 

(Bohol has several quality products, and we found them to be extraordinary.)

Possible partnership 

During the team’s courtesy call on Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, the governor pitched a possible market linkage with PhilSTAR to benefit the unemployed and underemployed residents in the province. 

The governor asked PhilSTAR if they could form a partnership where unemployed Boholanos will be given funds to weave and manufacture items designed by the PhilSTAR designers, which the association can then buy in bulk. 

Aumentado proposed that the provincial government can provide funds for the local production of the materials that PhilSTAR orders for export. 

Under this set-up, out-of-school youth, persons deprived of liberty, unemployed single parents and community-based weavers will produce the designs from PhilSTAR of handcrafted items for export. 

“Maayo kaayo nga offer ni. Pwede gyud kayo nga himoon,” said Joy Soriano, a PhilSTAR member and owner of Zyrrah’s Arts and Crafts. 

(That’s a good offer, it is totally possible.) 

Antequera Mayor Jose Mario Pahang, during the group’s courtesy call, was thankful that the PhilSTAR team visited his town, especially since Antequera’s premier basket industry is experiencing a slowdown and weavers are being forced to sell their products cheap. 

“We couldn’t thank you enough (for coming to us),” said Pahang. 

Traditionally acclaimed as Bohol’s basket capital, Antequera showcased their tuhog-tuhog weaves using the nito, sig-id, vines, and bamboo materials that make up their baskets and other handcrafted products. (RAHC/PIA Bohol)