Exporters eye "Project Bayong"

CEBU, Philippines - Heeding the call of providing alternative livelihood opportunities to displaced workers in today’s crisis-laden economy and to those from the countryside, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Central Visayas recently launched its national initiative called as the Project Bayong in the municipality of Barili, which has started to stir interest from the export sector.

Project Bayong is in line with the government’s Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) and it highlights the hand-woven native bag made of pandan, romblon, rattan or buri and it takes into consideration the environmental advocacy of reducing waste.

DTI Central Visayas regional director Asteria Caberte said in an interview that Project Bayong is already attracting interests from exporters who have eyed a big potential market for bayongs overseas.

Caberte said that among which is 33 Point 3 Export Inc. who agreed to partner with DTI for Project Bayong and advised weavers to produce functional bags with competitive pricing to easily penetrate the export market.

She revealed that even a Manila-based manufacturing and exporting company which is selling food products has outlaid plan to use bayong in its product packaging since its more durable.

Other than exporters, Caberte shared that they are also currently working on possible partnerships with the Chamber of Retail Stores as well as tapping the homegrown retail chains like the Gaisano group to look at the possibility of using bayong in their packaging materials.

“By doing so, we can address our environmental problems plus we can help our micro-entrepreneurs to augment their income,” said Caberte.

The huge number of school children is also being eyed as possible market for bayongs other than those who will use bayong in shopping, supermarkets and in wet markets.

Meanwhile, DTI Cebu provincial Director Nelia Navarro said that the bayong industry can take off if people will only start to realize its probable impact to the environment.

“There is a huge export market for bayongs and this will be good if only we come up with better products and tap the market as fast as we can,” she said.

She said that their aim now for Project Bayong is to get more and more people to weave so that they can take advantage of the market and create more supply.

Participated by around 75 homegrown weavers the project was launched in Barili which culminated with trainings that included basic skills in bayong weaving aimed to create more new weavers, upgrading skills training to those who have been currently weaving but need a skills upgrade and training on dyeing techniques where various colors could be integrated to increase the bayong’s marketability in both domestic and international market.

The training was facilitated by DTI’s private sector partner Gateway East, a Manila-based private company which is also an environmental advocate focused on waste reduction and ending the utilization of plastics.

Barili Mayor Teresito P. Mariñas said that weaving has since been considered a traditional livelihood to residents of their town so the opportunity that this project presents to them is but timely.

He said that Project Bayong is another initiative that their town and their people can capitalize on which can help them augment the income and provide alternative livelihood other than agriculture, which usually could not keep up with the daily needs of their residents.

After Barili, Project Bayong will be rolled out to other areas in the region which includes other parts in Cebu like Bogo, Talibon, Ubay and Bien Unido in Bohol this coming February 20 to 27, La Libertad in Negros Oriental this coming March 4 to 5, and in Napo, San Juan in Siquijor.

Nationwide, pilot areas for Project Bayong only include Central Visayas (Region VII), Caraga region and the Bicol Region (Region V).