Playing with fire

MANILA, Philippines - In the international scene, welding is no longer strictly a man’s job. In fact, some companies prefer women welders, as they have good hand-eye coordination and show more patience. But in the Philippines, welding is still a profession not many – if any – women go into.

This was the situation that 25 women in Madalag, Aklan were faced with. But that did not stop them, and they grabbed the opportunity to take part in welding training offered through the Gender Incentive Grant (GIG) from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through the Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P), and which was implemented through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), one of the main poverty alleviation programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). They used the biases as motivation to work hard to prove to others – and themselves – that they could rise to the challenge.

Sherlina Hungay, 33, of Barangay Antipolo, said her role was limited to cooking and washing. But when she was chosen to be part of the training to be provided by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), she said with determination, “Kakayanin ko ito para sa pamilya ko (I will do this for my family).” 

Sherlina had no experience working outside her home. She once considered working as a domestic helper abroad to earn money for her family, as she and her husband struggle daily to make ends meet.

Despite her motivation, Sherlina initially found the training challenging. It did not help that people told her she would not be able to work as a welder. This was compounded by her husband, who bet that she would not be able to complete the course, as he himself previously tried to go through the same welding training but was unable to complete it because of the physical demands.

Instead of allowing this to dishearten her, Sherlina took up the challenge, even when her husband bet that she would not be able to complete even just a week’s worth of training. If she lost, she would have to promise that she would never try to be a welder again.

Even though she was able to complete the training, she was still not home free. She had to pass the assessment to become a full-fledged welder. She recalls how anxious she felt waiting for the results: “Baka hindi ako makapasa. Nakakahiya sa asawa ko (If I did not pass, I would be so ashamed to face my husband.)” But her fears were unfounded: she passed the assessment without any problems. She shared her joy when she spoke during the graduation ceremony for the women students of both the traditional and non-traditional trainings that were provided to them by Kalahi-CIDSS.

With a wide smile, she boasted: “Kung ano ang kaya ng asawa ko, kaya ko rin (What my husband can do, I can do too)!”

Far from being offended, Sherlina shared that her spouse was exceedingly pleased with her accomplishment. She says that in all the years they have been married, it was only then that she felt his respect for her, and she for herself. “It feels good that I was able to prove to myself that I could do this,” she said in Filipino.

While Sherlina is still considering the possibility of working abroad, she says, with pride, that it will no longer be as a domestic helper but as a welder.

Like Sherlina, 27-year-old Genie Nanson of Barangay San Jose also has a family of her own, with a husband and two children. But unlike Sherlina, Genie’s husband was supportive of her joining the training, even though she admitted that he would have preferred that she joined the plumbing classes, as he was worried about her safety. But when she told him that was what she really wanted to do, he agreed and would, in fact, always give her money for fare just so she could attend the trainings.

Opposition came from her neighbors. When they learned that she would be joining the welding training, they said that she would not finish the program, and even bet that she would only last for two days. Genie, however, did not allow them to get to her. Instead, she used this as motivation. She remembers thinking at the time, “Ipapakita ko sa kanila na kaya ko (I will show them that I can do this.)”  

The training was far from easy for Genie. She accidentally burned herself in one of the sessions, and it took some time before she got used to the driver, which was difficult to carry because of its weight. Still, she persevered, and like Sherlina, passed the assessment without any problems.

It was this same persistence that pushed her to seek on-the-job training from the Kalahi-CIDSS Area Coordinating Team (ACT) during the construction of the sub-projects in or near Madalag. Her persistence paid off when two Kalahi-CIDSS infrastructure sub-projects, a school building and a bridge, were scheduled for construction, and she was tapped as one of the welders for the projects.

With her newfound confidence in her skill as her shield, Genie was able to stand up to her neighbors, who continued to mock her. When they said that the only thing she would be able to make would be a stove because she was just a woman, her response was, “Sige. Bibilhin mo (Okay, as long as you buy it).”

When they threatened to watch her first day on the job as a welder to see her fail, she shot back, “Eh ‘di panoorin niyo ako (Just watch me)!”

Her bravura is not just on the surface level. According to the Nelson Zapanza, the TESDA instructor who conducted the training, Genie is a very skilled welder. When she realized this, Genie developed confidence in herself. Thankful for the lessons and the break she was given, she says, “May oportunidad na kami para maiangat ang sarili namin, para matuto kami (We now have the opportunity to learn and to improve ourselves).” 

Lovely Tello and Marian Cadevida may look like regular students, but at 18, they are both qualified welders, having gone through the same training as Sherlina and Genie. They joined the training because their families could not afford to send them to college.

As Lovely shared in Filipino, “I want to be able to study, even if it is just a vocational course.” With a shy smile, she shares that her mother prepared her things each morning before she went to training.

Marian, meanwhile, said that she was not able to go to college, and joined the welding training instead of just staying at home. “At least I would be able to learn something,” she said. Like Lovely, she received support from her mother and her siblings.

However, she admitted that she felt nervous before the actual welding, unsure about her own abilities in the past. It was only when she was able to experience welding firsthand that she began to have faith in herself.

Marian and Lovely not only could do welding, they were able to keep up with the other trainers, including men and older women, proving that neither gender nor age are barriers in skills building.

There may only be a few women who joined the welding training, but through these classes, the participants not only learned a new skill, they were also able to develop confidence in themselves.

Admittedly, these women still have a long way to go. Even so, it is a good first step, especially since, according to Zapanza, welding is a profession that can suit both men and women, it is just that people have become used to associating it with men. What matters in the workplace is not gender, but rather skill and talent, and these trainees have a lot of that going for them.