Tags: Entrepreneurship, Handicrafts, Livelihood Programs
By Anna Valmero
PILA, LAGUNA – When Typhoon Ondoy struck two year ago, artists Cesar Pasco and Renel Batralo were among the many residents here who encountered flooding problems due to the huge number of water hyacinths in nearby Laguna Bay.
After years of pondering what to do with these water lilies, the two thought of converting these into fiber used to make handicrafts, aided by training they received from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Now, their two-year-old business named Sarilikha Handicrafts is churning out fashionable ladies’ bags made of water hyacinth and pandan plant leather. Their products were featured in the recent One Town, One Product Expo organized by the DTI.
“We started our business with P250 only as capital and we wanted to tell people of our story that there’s a chance to start a business even with a small capital. All we need is look at potential raw materials in our backyard, a little capital and a strong artistic ability,” said Pasco.
Betralo added that the current handicraft products offered in the country are mostly made of abaca, pandan and buri.
“Water lilies and hyacinths offer a new spin on local handicrafts. And it solves two problems at the same time: first, we converted the previously nuisance plant as a raw material to give livelihood to locals and secondly, it prevents clogging of the Laguna lake,” said Betralo.
At present, 15 residents of Pila are tapped to make bags for Sarilikha Handicrafts. Aside from them, the community harvests and treats the water hyacinth stalks and sells these at 25 centavos per stalk.
“Before, the water hyacinths used to be free but when people saw its value, they started harvesting it and sold it to manufacturers like us. That’ a good thing,” said Pasco.
Business was slow at first but sales started to pick up as buyers from other countries, influenced by the eco-friendly lifestyle, started prioritizing natural fibers over nonbiodegradable plastic or faux leather.
“The ‘leather-look’ is key to our success because it brings plant leather to a new level, almost at part with the traditionally produced animal leather,” said Betralo.
Each month, the business earns at least P30,000 selling their products to Manila and also exporting to Netherlands, Japan, Dubai, United States and Canada. Handicraft products include office bags, clutch bags, ladies’ bags and purses. Pricing starts at P700 to P1,500 depending on the design.
Aside from handling their business, Pasco and Batralo are still teaching Laguna residents on plant leather making.
“There is a lot of raw materials that we can use to start business in the Philippines. Tamad na lang ang walang kinikita sa Pilipinas (Only those who are lazy do not find a way to earn) We just need to be more resourceful, that’s the challenge,” said Pasco.
Get more information about Sarilikha Handicrafts
Related stories:
Filipino entrepreneur creates world-class leather goods from local plants
Abundant water lilies provide livelihood for Taguig residents
San Fernando women build handicraft community with water lilies
Cotabato locals eye livelihood from flood-causing water hyacinth
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