Balangao: Weaving their way out of poverty

WEAVING THEIR WAY OUT OF POVERTY

Chris Baguiwan, Community Development Worker.

Barangay Balangao is nestled in a rugged mountain slope that can be viewed from Poblacion Natonin. It is a testament to the level of development in the area that a road supposedly connecting it to the Poblacion is not passable by any motor vehicle, hence is reachable only by an hour's hike.

Like most in the hinterland communities of Mountain Province, the people of Balangao survive on a hand-to-mouth produce from farming that continues to make use of crude tools and implements and back-breaking manual work from sunrise to sundown. While it is situated amidst lush vegetation with a number of mountain springs, it had, for a long time, a problem in accessing potable water supply. It had government built water system but, like many public works that are contracted out, its output was insufficient and was sourced from the nearest creek just above the community that was unsafe and which uses an open tank where frigs and even snakes often dwell. Water-borne diseases commonly afflicted the people, especially the children.

Sometimes in 2006, the people of Balangao submitted a resolution to the Episcopal Diocese of Santiago for the establishment of a new water system. The diocese, through its Community-Based Development Program (CBDP), agreed to assist in building the desired project but made it clear that it had to be done through sustainable development processes. This meant that the project will have to be implemented as a community-wide endeavor, with the people collectively managing project implementation and providing labor and local materials as counterpart in the total project cost. Initially, the community leaders who were used to the “kontrata system” were hesitant. They even suspected that certain funds supposedly for labor will go to private pockets or to the diocese itself.

The diocese however insisted in its recondition, explaining to the community that it does not allocate any amount for labor costs and that the project, in order to become sustainable, should be owned and managed by the community and so the people need to develop a strong sense of ownership over it by contributing to its cost. Through a series of consultations, the community finally agreed and the project commenced.

It took more than a year to complete the water system as the pipes and construction materials had to be manually transported to the community and the people had to schedule work during off-farm periods. The Municipality of Natonin contributed “food for work” as well as freight cost up to the end of the passable road.

The new water system is now in full operation, sourced out from a spring about 5 km away from the community and is capable of meeting the needs of the community’s 155 households. Water-borne diseases have drastically gone down and 104 households now have water-sealed toilets, thus improving health and sanitation.

Designed to be integrated with the water project was a livelihood component intended to augment the people’s income. As part of the project process, the community previously was brainstorming sessions to look into appropriate livelihood opportunities. It was at this point that a group of women expressed their desire to enhance their income-generating weaving activities.

One of them, Mrs. Felicidad Cofangot, speaking in native Balangao, related thus: “I started weaving after out training in Paracelis sometime ago which was introduced and sponsored by DTI and the Gaddang Tribes Association. ‘Bala’dang’ weaving refers to the style of the Balangao and Ga’dang tribes done through a back strap loom. There were several of us but I was the only one who finished and applied the learning upon returning to Balangao. I observed that if you are patient, you can earn an income that would be sufficient to at least put some food on the table when the grandchildren were not yet going to school. A skirt (tapis) could sell for P150.00, the g-string for P400.00 in the 1980’s. After some years, the cost of weaving materials has increased so much. Much more, the cost of sugar, cooking oil and many other household needs are now expensive. Thus, even the price of woven clothing has increased to as much as P750.00 for the skirt (tapis) and P1, 500.00 for the g-string. During those times, the weavers of Balangao were earning well from weaving, having at one time, even filled in orders such as the uniforms of the municipally employees of Natonin.

The increase of prices of goods and commodities however adversely affected the weaving activities in Balangao. Mrs. Cofangot continued: my husband’s income has not been sufficient to purchase all of our needs at the market at the town center, so I no longer had funds to purchase materials so that I could continue weaving. Thus, it had become just a “side-line”, which I could attend to only after I have helped in the farm and after doing housework. Sometimes, I was able to finish 2 skirts in a week”.

She was echoing the thoughts of all the other weavers in the community who have scaled down on weaving because of high prices of raw materials. Hence, they suggested that the livelihood component of their integrated project should include assistance to the weavers so they can buy thread and other materials. Seeing potential in the venture, the community agreed and so the amount of P100, 000.00 was provided for the purchase of these materials. With this assistance, an initial number of ten women went into weaving as a full-time activity. Aside from the usual skirts and g-strings, they are now doing priest’s stoles, placemats and wall decors.

Mrs. Cofangot said, “When I am able to sell, then I can provide the allowance of my grandchildren who are studying in Bayombong and Paracelis. I take pride that my weaving has enabled one of my grandchildren to finish a degree in criminology. He now works as a policeman in Santiago City.”

Mrs. Solidad Ananayo, 68 years old of Sitio Appapawan, who is the President of the Balangao Weavers’ Organization, also said in her native dialect: “My family benefitted much from making tapis, g-string, blankets, table clothes and other items, if not for this, I would not be able to earn a living since I can no longer work in the rice fields. My husband was not re-elected as Barangay Chairman because he is now old so we depend on weaving for our subsistence.”

When the weavers are able to sell their items, they pay for the cost of thread and other materials. The payments are again used to purchase these materials which are loaned out to the weavers. Since they purchase in bulk, they are able to avail of discounts from suppliers and thus their actual take from each finished product sold has increased.

Meanwhile, the project also acquired a sugar cane presser that mechanizes juice extraction from sugar cane, which the community hopes to process into muscovado and basi.

The integrated development project is now managed by the Lower Balangao Farmers Association.

(This article was also published in the Mountain Province Exponent last September 28, 2008).