SALLAPADAN, Abra (PIA) — A women’s organization in Barangay Subusob in this town engages in making various kakanin to earn some extra cash.
The Subusob Women’s Organization led by its president, Mylene Buenavista, produces local treats such as banana bread, patopat (rice cake), binagkal (biko), puto, banana chips, inandila, among others.
The women make use of locally grown products like rice, banana, coconuts and other root crops in making their delicacies.
“Adu gamin to produkto ditoy Subusob nga bagas, saba ken mangga ket isu ti usaren dagitoy women nga agluto ti makan, ket isu ti paggapwan na dagitoy produkto nga ilako mi,” Buenavista explained.
[We have plenty of produce here in Subusob like rice, banana and mango, which they use to make snacks and other products.]
Despite having limited production equipment, the organization is able to sustain their food business with the help of the the training courses of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) that they had attended.
“Awan pay lang ti machine mi tatta, manual pay laeng lalo daytoy panagaramid ti chips. Imbag ta nakatulong diay panag-training mi ti TESDA tapnu maytuloy mi latta,” Buenavista added.
[We don’t have a machine as of the moment. We produce manually especially in making chips. Our trainings in TESDA help us to sustain this.]
Gemma Benabese Nayal, a member of Subusob Women’s Organization, who actively markets their products around the town shared that their business not only help them but also the farmers in their barangay who supply them with their harvests.
“Adda met kita mi kanayunan nga urnong. Saan lang a sikami ti matulongan nu di ket dagitoy nga products mi ket makatulong pay kadagiti mannalon ditoy ayan mi ta mausar dagiti apit da para ti lako mi,” Nayal said in an interview.
[We are earning some extra cash, and we are also helping farmers here who sell their produce to us, which we use to make our products.)
The group was one of the exhibitors at the Tognawa Festival Agri-Trade Fair 2025 where they showcased their products.
The upland town of Sallapadan is 44 kilometers away from the capital town of Bangued. It can be reached in less than two hours for private vehicles and around three hours for public jeepneys. (CAGT- PIA CAR, Abra)
