DTI-BOHOL'S BAYONG” DEVELOPMENT TRAINING PRODUCED 59 GRADUATES

[fieljeromecielo]

“BAYONG” DEVELOPMENT TRAINING PRODUCED 59 GRADUATES.  Who would ever think that the used-to-be simple, lowly “bayong” (bawjot to Boholanos) could offer effective solutions to the country’s economic and environmental problems, at the same time, make people preserve their cultural heritage? With the impact of the global economic crisis being felt strongly by the Filipinos, the national government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, is embarking on a new advocacy project which aims to address poverty. Also, in the recent times, the country has been flooded with plastics or synthetic fabrics imported from China which have taken a toll on the local industries, hence, “Project Bayong” was conceived. Gateway East Chief Executive Officer Cesar Cueto, DTI project partner, presented this rationale during two-day training on “bayong” development program conducted in San Jose, Talibon last February 24 and 25 which yielded 59 graduates from the barangays of San Jose, San Isidro and San Roque (second photo). During the first day, Department of Trade and Industry -7 Regional Director Aster C. Caberte, shown in the first photo observing the weavers during the basic skills and upgrading training, said that “Project Bayong,” intended to provide sufficient volumes of “bayong” as handy replacements for plastic bags utilizing the abundant raw materials in the regions as alternatives to non-biodegradable China-made items, is a sustainable anti-poverty program. Talibon Vice-Mayor Restituto Auxtero, speaking on behalf of Mayor Juanario Item, expressed the support of the local government unit for the program and thanked the project proponents for choosing Talibon as the pilot area. However, the beneficiaries will still undergo a series of product development and enhancement training as part of re-inventing “bayong” as a rural solution to urban living. Parallel to this is eradicating the negative biases of using “bayong” which include its image of being a poor man’s container, making one look provincial or old-fashioned. Coordinators are DTI-Bohol Division Chief Marisol Laxa-Balistoy and Engr. Jerome John J. Gabin, Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist. (jeromefielcielogabin)