PATAMABA - Baguio

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PATAMABA-OXFAM PROJECT: Strengthening the Marketing Network of Women Workers in the Informal Economy Towards Advancing Fair, Just and Sustainable Trade

WEAVING IN APUGAN

Weaving is believed to have started centuries ago when people used bark fibers to produce loin cloth for g-strings, belt, tapis (skirt) and ritual blankets. As a business enterprise, loom weaving started in Baguio with the setting up in 1909 of the Easter Weaving Room. In the 1970s with the influx of tourists in the area, the demand for items identified with the Cordillera ethnic groups increased tremendously. Thus, women who usually made cloth for the use of their families only, started weaving cloth for sale, turning the activity into a family based income generating industry.

The women of Apugan are indigenous people from Ifugao who have migrated to the city and had to find a job that can substitute for their husbands’ lack of income. Thus, the traditional craft of backstrap weaving became the main source of income for most families in Apugan. It is fortunate that Baguio City is frequented by tourists who patronize handwoven products, thus creating a stable market for the women.

Baguio Bags & Baguio Slippers

The Product/s The main product is made of synthetic fiber which is called a runner. The sizes they produce range from 13” x 18” to 12” 60”, 14” x 72” or 16” x 72”. The products have from 2 to 4 color combinations, the most popular ones being red, blue, black, green and white. These can be used as wall or table decorations. It is also cut to produce place mats, bags, vests (chaleco), bathrobes, and small items like wallets, cell phone bags and coin purses. The woven products are identified by the color ( dominated by red, yellow, green and black) and design (lizards, jars, trees, and lines). These are sold as souvenir items in the Baguio City Market.

The Producers Three PATAMABA women weavers became entrepreneurs after obtaining credit assistance from the PATAMABA-WEED Program. They have capital and the livelihood as a main business. They buy the products of the weavers and reproduce them to souvenir items. They are also the marketer and promoter of the products which they bring to the tourist parks in Baguio City. They attend trade fairs and promote the products using their own business name and/or that of the organization’s. During off season they serve as subcontractors for they give the weavers work for labor only. This is also the time when they need much capital because they need to stock products for peak season and that it is during this time that most of the weavers need cash advances.

Homebased weaving is an ideal setting where women can work and take care of the children at the same time. The older children are required to watch over younger siblings as their mother rushes to finish her craft. Instead of studying or making school assignments, the children help in household work so that the mother can attend to the family’s livelihood.

Although their husbands actively participate in parenting, doing the household chores and in the weaving operations, the women weavers are still mainly responsible for these activities in the households. The combination of these main responsibilities overworks the women. The condition is aggravated by the technology they use that is low in productivity, a tedious process and a threat to their health.

Product Development and Marketing Backstrap weaving does not require a large working space and the equipment is easily rolled up and tucked on walls when weaving is not done. Most PATAMABA weavers got their back strap loom as gifts from their husbands or were handed down by their mother, grandmother or mother-in-law. The equipment will cost P200 to P250.00 to make or acquire said item.

The basic processes used by the women in producing woven cloth is basically similar to those used in early times: winding, warping, weaving, cleaning and sewing. However, in the preparation phase of the material, yarns need to be rolled first (ball rolling). This is considered the most tedious part of the process where children are called to help. After school hours, the children are tasked to roll threads into balls in preparation for weaving. Usually it is the smaller children who perform the task.

Due to competition from other weavers from Baguio, La Trinidad and neighboring Cordillera provinces, the weavers of Apugan cannot command good prices. So they adopted a more practical marketing strategy that seem to work well with them. Their woven cloth are mainly sold to sewers who come up with different types of products which are then sold to retail stores in places frequented by local (Filipino) tourists in Baguio. The sewers usually specify the dimensions, design and colors of the cloth to be made by the weavers. These specifications are based on the type of products (e.g. table cloth, vest, back pack, pencil holder, etc.) to be sewn. The latter sell to stores in Baguio that cater to the local tourists, whose main concerns are low prices and the ethnic look of the products. Quality does not matter much and this is just ideal for the lower quality products that the women of Apugan produce.

The selling price of the weavers and sewers is usually based on the on going market price. During lean season prices are said to be about 10% lower; this is widely practiced in order to sell and therefore have income. Such practice results in loss of capital. Little consideration is given to costs. In fact, if the labor provided by the weavers and their family members are included in the computation of the cost of their operations, almost all of them will register losses. Neither are the members particular of the quantity of their weekly produce.

The market is largely influenced by seasonality. The peak months are from September to April. Off season periods are from May to January where sales are low and competition becomes very stiff. Low season is also the time when capital is spent for family expenses. To enable them to continue with their trade, the weavers and the entrepreneurs seek out loans for new capital. Various credit institutions such as the GULF Bank, Jaime Ongpin Foundation and some private lenders are available for this purpose.

However, borrowers find difficulty in meeting the weekly terms of payment. As a result, they incur additional loans just to cover periods of no income. The members do not complain about the 3% to 5% interest per month for as long as they can continue with their production. More often, the weavers find themselves indebted (for cash advances and loans) to the entrepreneurs, who are also their relatives. In return the weavers are to sell their woven products to the entrepreneurs or weave for them.

Some Progressive Steps: Improving the Weaving Industry of Apugan

Identified problems relative to the production of woven cloth are: inability to improve the quality and quantity of products; and raw materials shortage, specially during the peak season (onset of Christmas and Holy Week). Engaging in this activity also affects the health of women, most of whom suffer from back pains due to long hours of weaving and eye strain due to staring at the different colors of the warping thread used; and the raw materials(the synthetic thread which emit “dust”) are said to cause upper respiratory ailment.

Addressing the above problems will prove more meaningful if done in conjunction with equally important considerations: