Written by: Gay E. Y. Zialcita, Member, HABI Philippine Textile Council since 2018
Textile Scientist, writer, product innovator, weaving teacher, fiber spinner, and researcher
Imagine a community hit each year by severe storms that sweep away most of the items you own and those you are in the midst of selling to earn your family’s keep. Nothing is left but to rely on handouts, hoping that a kilo of rice will last long enough to feed your family for a month—the time it takes to pick up the pieces and begin rebuilding again. Life is hard. Depending on being one of the lucky recipients leaves residents struggling even after the storm has passed.
HABI chose a village in Bicol, on the northeastern side of Catanduanes, that is regularly hit hard by storms, with the aim of providing long-term support. Enough of giving free dole-outs. What is better for the community is to have a place where women can work while a day-care center operates on site under the same roof. HABI’s major project is to build a HABI Weaving Center for the weavers, whose husbands harvest abaca for their livelihood. It is a hard life. HABI, together with DOST–PTRI (Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Textile Research Institute), sent looms and provided initial training to Panganiban.
Then recently, HABI sent its textile technician, Gayle Zialcita, to help train the new weavers, teaching them techniques for developing products that can be sold locally and online under HABI.
Twenty-five women learned basic abaca knotting and weaving over the past few days, from February 16–20, at the temporary Panganiban HABI Weaving Center. HABI is grateful to have been offered a temporary space while a new building—the HABI Philippine Textile Council Weaving Center—is currently being constructed. We hope to see it inaugurated sometime this year.
HABI’s outreach program for the Panganiban community focuses on livelihood by training twenty-five master weavers—farmers’ wives—so that they can continue to train others in their community.
Throughout the four days of training, the trainees echoed the words, “Walang gutom,” meaning “No hunger.” Golden words indeed. The small community of around 8,500 will be able to stand on its own with the products the weavers were assigned to practice and then produce for themselves and for HABI. I am so happy for this community. Thank you, HABI and the Philippine Textile Council, for taking on this monumental project.
Cheers to the new learners. We are proud of you.
HABI warmly thanks TELUS for supporting the project’s training programs and helping empower weavers while rebuilding livelihoods.
