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.
There are several advantages to Project Bayong. It generates employment, maximizes use of indigenous raw materials and provides an alternative for the environmentally conscious.
Project Bayong also supports micro-entrepreneurship. The production of bayong entails low investment, it requires light technology, it preserves our cultural heritage and augments income of rural folks.
Project Bayong is also one way for the government to address environmental degradation in the country aggravated by a high annual population growth rate and improper disposal of solid and toxic wastes, among others.
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.
With more people seeking environment friendly products, there is now an increase in demand for bayong in the domestic and international markets, according to DTI.
The DTI is currently working in coordination with the local government, non-government organizations, retailers and exporters for the project. This is intended to provide sustainable livelihood for the people and create more entrepreneurs.
To implement the project, DTI has partnered with Gateway East, a Manila-based private company that advocates waste reduction and an end to the use of plastic bags.
Project Bayong is a component of the Comprehensive Livelihood Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) of the national government and one of several poverty-alleviation programs.
The CLEEP is a nationwide effort by the government to protect the country’s most vulnerable sectors --- such as the poor, returning expatriates, workers in the export industry, and out of school youths, from threats and consequences of reduced and lost income as a consequence of the global economic crisis --- by providing emergency employment and supervising livelihood projects.
The program aims to build the capacities of Filipino workers and afford them the skills they need to compete in tougher job markets, and to create as many jobs in the least possible amount of time for the poor through investments in enterprise developmen t. (PR)
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