The Department of Trade (DTI)-7 Shared service facility (SSF) for handloom weaving was officially turn-over to the Cebu Technological University-Argao on June 22, 2022, after proving that the institution can sustainably govern and manage the facility following the mandate of DTI-7, to assist the MSMEs, and to provide the livelihood of the community.
Maria Elena C. Arbon, Regional Director of DTI-7, personally turned over the facility’s ownership to CTU, headed by Dr. Edgar U. Tibay, Vice-President for Production, Extension, and Resource Generation, along with various CTU key official who was present during the Ceremony.
The weaving equipment consists of 25 handloom machines. Ten of the 20 handlooms are equipped with 60-inch metal reeds; nine are with 36″ metal reeds, one with 72″ metal reeds, and five are equipped with 64″ metal reeds.
The project was established in 2016, and until 2019 it helped the community by employing the unemployed, where they hired 22 weavers, 45 finishers, and seven sewers and collaborated with 27 MSMEs.
According to Director Arbon in her speech, “…when we work for something bigger than ourselves, naa tay adbokasiya (we have advocacy), we impact the community, naa tay mga maayong gibuhat para mulambo ang komunidad (we have good deeds to help boost the community).”
In the current year, the Hinablon sa Cebu has aided 97 beneficiaries. The CTU also aims to assist 20 MSMEs and generate 40 jobs in the existing year.
The institution also proves its resiliency despite collapsing its market for various causes. From P420,000 annual sales in 2016, the cooperator has increased its sales to 3,470,000 in 2019. Moreover, at present, the CTU-Hinablon is gradually regaining its demand with the presence of the SSF Handloom Weaving, which was a considerable aid.
In line with this, Dr. Jorelyn Concepion, the project director, expressed her gratitude to the individuals, various private institutions and public sectors who helped the project possible, “Tungod kanila, tungod kaninyo, tungod kanato, sugod 2016 to 2019 nidako ug nilambo ang atong negosyo sa pagpang hablon bisan paman niabot ang pandemya.”
“Through them, you and us, started the year 2016 until 2019 our business in Hablon developed and boomed amidst the pandemic.”
Furthermore, during the event, the DTI and Cebu Technological University Argao Campus signed into a usufruct and memorandum of agreement for the SSF upgrading of additional equipment, including another unit of computerized embroidery machine and five sets of loom weaving machines worth 2M for 2022.
Words by Almie Mata