To provide a source of income for Filipinos affected by the global financial crisis, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) formally launched “Project Bayong” in Cebu on June 12 during the Kalayaan 2009, a Philippine Independence Day celebration.
During the trade and livelihood fair held at SM City Cebu on June 12 - 14, Bayong utility and fashion bags were on display and bayong weaving was demonstrated to the public.
Project Bayong highlights the hand-woven native bag made of pandan, rattan or buri. In the last four months (February-May) DTI initiated a series of product development trainings which include basic skills in bayong weaving, skills upgrading and dyeing techniques.
As of May 2009, Project Bayong has been rolled out to 11 municipalities in Central Visayas. Around 11 basic skills trainings, 5 trainings in dyeing techniques, 6 trainings in skills upgrading benefited 605 people.
The municipalities where trainings were held include Barili, Bogo, San Remegio, Sta Fe, Bantayan Island in Cebu; Manjuyod and La Libertad in Negros Oriental; Talibon, Bien Unido, Ubay in Bohol; San Juan, Siquijor in Siquijor.
"In order to accomplish the agency’s tasks and realize all the projects, the DTI needs enough manpower knowledgeable in imparting the necessary information to beneficiaries and skilled in supervising projects. Being a lean organization, all warm bodies available at the DTI will be utilized for the purpose. Thus, smooth coordination and good working relationship among members of the organization is crucial to the success of the projects. It is in this context that the need for Building Cross Functional Teams is deemed necessary." That was the statëment made in the activity proposal, but the actual Tambuli beach activity in Cebu wasn't really sombre, subdued or structured. In fact, it was relaxing and "filling" (my stomach felt the food was certainly worth mentioning).
Last May 29, heritage and culture affectionados had a memorable experience.
Six museums in Cebu opened their doors from 6 o’clock in the evening up to midnight in celebration of the National Heritage Month and the observance of International Museum Day.
Called in the local dialect “Gabii sa Kabilin”, the night tour of museums in Cebu City is reportedly the only one of its kind in Asia, after a similar practice among museums in Berlin.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is currently conducting free business seminars and skills trainings in Central Visayas.
The photographs here were taken during the Cebu entrepreneurship seminar and skills training held last March 13.
Displaced workers, OFWs and their families, unemployed and prospective entrepreneurs took advantage of the free seminars and trainings. There were more than 200 participants during the Cebu activity.
These seminars and trainings is part of the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) of the Philippine government
CLEEP aims to “save or create millions of new jobs to weather the effects of the current global economic crisis.”
With the rising number of workers affected by the present global situation, the DTI is taking the necessary interventions as fast as it can.
For companies interested to avail of entrepreneurship and business related seminars and trainings for its workers, they may contact the following DTI representatives: Elias Tecson for Cebu at tel no. 253-2631 or 4121863; Marisol Balistoy for Bohol at tel no. 411-3302 or 501-8260; Bing Sumanoy or Araceli Maypa for Negros Oriental at tel. no. 225-7211 or 422-1764; Marlene Patria for Siquijor at tel. no. 344-2238 or 480-9065
In line with the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) of the Philippine government, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will launch the “Project Bayong”, a job generating activity, at the Barili Gymnasium in Cebu province on February 10, 2009 at 9:00 in the morning.
This project aims to develop the abundant raw material and the existing skills in Barili into a product (a hand-woven bag or “Bayong”) which has a potential demand both for local and export market.
The municipality of Barili has been chosen by DTI as a launch site for the project in Cebu because Barili is noted for its “bayong” craftsmanship, making use of local pandan material.
”Project Bayong”, which highlights the hand-woven native bag made of pandan, rattan or buri, takes into consideration the environmental aspect where there is a growing worry over billions of plastic bags polluting the environment, clogging canals and littering the streets.
In China , Project Bayong’s prospective market, there is a move to ban the use of plastic bags and a shift towards the use of native baskets and/ or reusable cloth bags for shopping.
DTI is currently drawing-up plans, provide strategic interventions and mobilize craftsmen nationwide to boost mass production of quality “bayong.”
Trainings lined up for Barili include: (1) Basic Skills in bayong weaving to have more new weavers; (2) Upgrading Skills Training to those who have been currently weaving but need a skills upgrade; and (3) Training on Dyeing Techniques where various colors could be integrated to increase the “bayong’s” marketability.
According to DTI, the main goal of the project is to seek the support of Local Government Units and NGOs to provide sustainable livelihood and income-generating opportunities and establish more entrepreneurs who will help and strengthen communities in facing the global crisis.
CLEEP is one among several poverty alleviation government programs viewed as an immediate solution to the country's burgeoning unemployment problem and as an immediate response to the global economic crisis.
It is nice to know that the Philippines has its own budget airline --- Cebu Pacific which caters to Filipinos with modest means. Lately, however, it seems Cebu Pacific is too ambitious in its quest to cater to this market segment.
The fares may be affordable but their service does not quite live up to expectations.Too many flights and not enough planes.
Take for example my experience last December 31. We landed in Manila from Bangkok at around 4:30 a.m. I was suppose to be be back in Cebu at 9:30 in the morning. But my flight was very much delayed. It led me to believe our group wasn't in their flight schedule; there was none on the flight monitor. There was also no announcement or apology for the flight delay from Cebu Pacific..
Note that this wasn't the first time that Cebu Pacific delayed flights.
I wasn't the only one complaining at the front desk, as you can see in the photos. Of course, there was pandemonium, bordering on passenger mutiny. Passengers, especially those with kids, were worried about spending New Year at NAIA.
To ease the tension, the staff said that there is going to be a flight to Cebu at 11:00 a.m, But the time indicated on our ticket was 8:30 a.m. We had been waiting for hours! This airline ethic was unacceptable to the hungry and tired passengers. Not a few heated exchanges were made.
It appeared that the staff assigned at the NAIA airport wasn't good in crisis management. They had to call in the airport police to resolve the matter. Unfortunately, this complicated the situation.
It was nearl;y 3:00 in the afternoon. when I arrived, happy and relieved, at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
So, what did I do during last year's long Christmas holiday?
I went gallivanting in Bangkok with Laura and Jackie!
Grand Palace, Wat Po, Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Coins Museum, Vimanmek Teakwood Mansion, Platinum and Pantip Shopping malls, other tourist traps, were just some of the places we visited.
I don't need to talk in detail about Bangkok. I'm sure you have read the brochures. Needless to say, food and books have been the main focus in my trip.
I noticed the complexity of food ingredients and Thai language used predominantly in newspapers and books. So unlike the simplicity of Cebuano food preparation and the predominance of English language publications in Cebu (of course, how can we be the top emerging Business Process Outsourcing destination if English wasn't our second language!)
Here it is ... a museum-like restaurant --- the STK Ta Bay Sa Paolito's Seafood House.
This "House of Exotic Food" is found at Orchid Street in Capitol Site, Cebu City. Their website address is http://stktabay.com/
Sure, the food tasted very good. I ate tuna panga, baked scallops and lechon kawali with rice (this statement has been edited by Aga, my eating buddy). I would have wanted to order more but then I also wanted to eat the mint brownies of Starbucks Cafe, a special Christmas treat.
STK Ta Bay, though, feels a little creepy with all the antiques around. Take note of the capiz (sea shell) windows. With their ambience, you'd expect to meet a supernatural being any moment.
Sorry for the blurry photo. This picture was taken with a cellphone camera.
The Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (Fame) Foundation made initial earnings amounting to $1.7 million from its first international show in Cebu.
Cebu Fame president Janet Chua said the amount represents only the initial negotiated sales from 89 percent of the show’s exhibitors and is the direct result of the participation of 147 foreign buyers and 5,000 registered visitors.
Fame held last Sept. 20-22 the international fashion accessories show, Bijoux (French for jewelry), at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa.
Of the initial sale figure, more than $740,000 were booked sales while more than $910,000 are still under negotiation and over $14,000 has been reported as total cash sales.
Bijoux e-marketing and publicity committee head Reyna Tio said the buyers are representatives of various foreign brands. “Their number is small but they are well-chosen because we target our products on the right clients, (those) who will really buy.”
Fame pointed out that the Bijoux sales were bigger that what the group earned during an exhibit in Hong Kong last June.
Fame reported a total of 147 exhibitors in the Bijoux Cebu, about 53 percent of which are small enterprises and 45 percent are medium-sized businesses. At least 96 percent of the products displayed during the show were costume jewelry.
Although costume jewelry made up most of the sales, exhibitors noted an increase in the popularity of other product lines, including bags, baskets, house ware, footwear, belts and hats.
Chua said that these pieces are marketable because “these were intricately designed, (are) affordable (and) fit the present fashion demand.”
She said the market for Philippine products might pick up in 2009 after three years of slowdown because these products are now made in line with market demand while target foreign buyers are showing interest in natural wood accessories as a result of ecological awareness.
With this, the local fashion accessories sector also hopes to increase the country’s market share next year as target buyers from the United States and Europe increase their orders.
Bijoux Cebu is Fame’s counterpart to the furniture sector’s annual Cebu X (Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition). It was organized to showcase Cebu and the Philippines as Asia’s destination for green jewelry.
Bijoux Cebu chairman Butch Carungay said that the industry plans to hold on a much bigger space at the Shangri-La Mactan next year.
More than 80 exhibitors from all over Central Visayas participated in the five-day Sandugo Regional Product and Raw Material Showcase at the Island City Mall, Tagbilaran City, Bohol on July 23 to 27.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Central Visayas Regional Director Asteria Caberte said the exhibition brought sales of Php 22 Million and highlighted the finest of the region's OTOP (OneTown, One Product) including unique products and services that make use of indigenous raw materials and local ingenuity.
Caberte said the participants come from the tourism, food, fashion accessories, crafts, Gifts, Toys and Housewares, and Information and Communications Technology sectors.
Craft producers in Central Visayas presented prototypes of their work after a series of trainings and one-on-one consultations with expert designers.
The fair also featured a raw materials gallery to afford buyers and product designers with a plethora of materials to use, and this will be complemented with craft demonstrations for the interested public, according to Caberte.
Emerging tourist destinations in the region will likewise be showcased with packaged tours to be made readily available at the booths.
National buyers were present during the fair, including exporters, buying agents, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and subcontractors.
Booths were set up at the Island City Mall to display the wealth of natural wonders and the related adventure and fun activities that are available for tourists and visitors who wish to explore the following destinations on the rise.
Several DTI initiated or assisted programs geared towards making our local products and services globally competitive were launched during the 2008 Sandugo Regional Product and Raw Material Showcase.
These programs include the Subcontracting Partnership for Innovation Program (SPIN); Integrated Technology Systems and Support Amenities for Food Enterprises (ITS SAFE) project implemented by the Bohol Chamber of Commerce in close coordination with the DTI, The Department Of Science and Technology and the Provincial Small and Medium Development Council; the offering of B.S. Industrial Design course at the Central Visayas State College for Agriculture, Forestry and Trade (CVSCAFT) with support from the German Technical Cooperation Program or GTZ and DTI; The DTI Product Catalogue, Tatak Bohol Concept and the Information and Communication Technology Council.
The OneTown, One Product (OTOP) program is all about developing local skills, using indigenous materials and promoting entrepreneurship & partnership.
The Trans-central Highway connects the highlands of Cebu City to Balamban. It is obviously my favorite road in Cebu. It has less people, less vehicular traffic and even less urban encroachment since it is within the watershed areas of Kot-kot, Lusaran and Mananga.
