Thursday, July 2, 2009

WITH THESE HANDS



FE BAGUIWA PADUYAO AND HER WEAVING PASSION

BY Wilhelmina S. Orozco


FE BAGUIWA PADUYAO AND HER WEAVING PASSION

BY Wilhelmina S. Orozco

The mantra to solve recession nowadays is “Go Negosyo or get into business.” Thus many trade fairs and exhibits are being conducted to provide markets for products, but not all could be said to be ethically-run. Fe Baguiwa Paduyao, farmwoman from Ifugao turned entrepreneur had to contend with festival organizers who did not fulfill their obligations, those persons who went into get-rich-quick schemes.

“Minsan nagpunta kami sa Brent School (sa Baguio). Duon nakatinda ako. Pero yung ibang mga festival ayoko. Lolokohin ka. Pagdating mo run, wala kang puwesto. Yung mga kasamahan kong vendors, (ang nagkuwento,) she narrated. (One time, we went to Brent School in Baguio. There I was able to make a good sale. But in other festivals, I don’t like anymore. They fool you. When you arrive at the site, you won’t have any space to sell. One time, my Ifugao townmates told me they had paid in advance for a space to put up their wares but when they arrived at the exhibit venue, no space was available.)

Another time, Fe narrated that her townmates also tried Pinagbenga (Festival of Flowers in Baguio City). “O yung sa Pinagbenga. Nagdown (ang mga kasamahan ko.) Pagdating nila run, wala na yung tao..) Wala silang puwesto, ” she woefully narrated. (There at Pinagbenga, my friends gave a downpayment to sell their stuff. But when they arrived, the person in charge was no longer there and the space for the stall was nowhere to be found.)

“Kaya naawa ako (sa) mga kasamahan kong vendors, kasamahan ko sila sa tiangge-tiangge at yung may cooperative. Luging-lugi sila. Kaya ayaw ko na yung ganun, ” Fe sadly reported. (I pity my friend-vendors. They are my companions in selling, some belong to a cooperatives. They really lost a lot. That’s why I don’t like those (exhibits) anymore.)

Handmade, hand-cared for products

Fe’s products include hand-embroidered blouses and dresses made of cotton for women and also some baby dresses. Her business dates back to the 70’s when UP now retired Prof. Rosario De Santos and Artist-Painter Anna Fer started Pinangga and later on helped her continue the business by contributing ideas for design and giving her tips on marketing. The idea for baby dresses cropped and then a foreigner, Odille, Malay, married to a Filipino intellectual, joined her business for two years after which they separated, each continuing the business on their own.

At present, Fe has 30 or more women, mostly homebased and subcontracted to do the sewing and embroidery while in her house, a sewer does the drawing and ironing. “Ako nagbibigay ng lahat ng gamit, tela, sinulid, drawing. Binibigay sa mga nanay, tapos kinokolek ng isang lider, nilalabhan, at pagkatuyo, pinapalantsa. (I supply everything to them, equipment, cloth, thread, drawing (of design). I give these to the mothers, and when finished a leader of the group collects them, and bring them to Fe to be washed, dried, and ironed.)

“Kasi pag embroidery, maraming lapis na marks; hindi papasa ang mga yun kung hindi lalabahan. Yung ordinary soap lang naman, pagkatapos nilalagyan ng softener,” she continued. (With embroidered cloth, left over pencil drawings of the designs will bring down the quality and price of the product. So it is better if these are washed away using ordinary soap and then rinsed with softener.)

Marketing woes
Marketing is a big problem for Fe because she holds business informally and yet the business establishments require her to provide so many papers before she can sell her stuff.

“Last year, nag try ako ng cotton knit, mabili rin. Ininvite din ako ng Kultura na nasa Mall of Asia. Kaya lang wala akong papeles ng city hall. Kasi kung kukuha ako ng papeles, maraming gastos. Kaya maliit ang returns sa manggagawa.

So registered ang business sa DTI na lang, na nire-renew every time it expires,” she said. (Last year, I tried using cotton knit and found it sellable. Then I got invited by a store in Mall of Asia. Unfortunately, I did not have the necessary papers from City Hall. But instead of paying for those permits, I would rather use the money for paying the workers. So I just register with the Department of Trade and Industry, which I renew everytime the papers expire.)

Not much profit can be had from the products. At most Fe would earn only about 30%. Payments to sewers are not fixed. Per embroidered product, if complicated, she pays them from P60 up to P200, but if simple would be only P25. A blouse could cost from P500 to P1,000 depending on the intricacy of the design.

Aside from the sewer, she has to take care of the artist who draws the designs on the cloth, and the finisher who sews the buttonhole and/or the hemlines. Her expenditures include thread, light and water added to the personnel costs, as well as transportation fares in going to Divisoria to buy the supplies. Fe also draws her own honorarium only as the administrator of the business.

Through the years, Fe has gotten the hang of her business setting up the price, budgeting her expenses to make the products sellable in the market and talking to managers of stores. Sometimes though, she wishes she could stop; but the workers do not want her to. It is a rare opportunity for them to be a part of the business as they have to stay home, and yet be able to earn extra income for their families.

Lonely trek to Manila
From far away Tinoc, Ifugao, where she was born, Fe came to Manila with Prof. Rosario, an anthropologist in the seventies. They traveled for almost 12 hours by bus.

Fe is the only girl and second to the eldest among 7 children. Most of her relatives have gone abroad, some to Taiwan, working at factories while her brothers are still in Ifugao, farming. Two other brothers are engaged in Benguet, planting and selling vegetables.

Used to hard work, Fe finished high school by being employed as a home helper at the same time. “Bata pa ako, nag grade 1 hanggang grade 4 ako sa Ifugao. Tapos nagpunta ako ng Kiangan, sa Ifugao pa rin, at nagpatuloy mag-aral hanggang high school. Working student ako. Nakitira ako sa mga tao sa pinagtatrabahuhan kong bahay at pag araw, nag-aaral,” she narrated.

Sometimes she worked in the fields, or washed clothes for a certain religious organization. After her third year in high school she met Prof. Rosario who then invited her to spend her vacation in Manila and work at the same time to earn her tuition fees for the next schoolyear. However, instead of returning, she decided, upon Prof. Rosario’s invitation to just finish schooling in Manila, transferring to Roosevelt Memorial High School in San Juan, Metromanila.

After that, Prof. Rosario enrolled her at the Miriam College adult education class in tailoring and later on in basic dressmaking to acquire skills that would be her stepping stone to financial independence.

Pinangga birthpangs

Upon Fe’s graduation, Prof. Rosario and Anna Fer absorbed her in Pinangga, a shop that specialized in handembroidered clothes and other products located at Cortada in Ermita, Manila. She became the errand girl, buying the supplies from Divisoria as well as the tailor who sewed the T-shirts to be given to the homebased workers for embroidery.

“Hanggang 1974 to 75, nag-boom noon. Kaso natuklasan kami ng malalaking kompanya. Ginaya ang aming produkto tulad ng crochet at embroidery. After some time, nag-close na yung shop sa Cortada. Kulang ang pondo. Tinuloy ko na lang unti-unti,” she narrated with great regret.

The business boomed again but big companies copied their products which then made them lose in the market. Though having meager funds, Fe continued the business and in the 80’s started making cotton blouses.

A lot of outlets are open to Fe’s business. Her products appeal to both local and foreign buyers. However, the marketing terms are not always palatable. At shops at UP Arcade in Diliman, at Intramuros and in Makati, the products are sold on consignment basis.

This is a big headache for her because her capital does not move as fast as she would want them to. Thus, she wishes everyday would be like the American women’s bazaar at Roxas Boulevard where she easily makes good sales. An American woman approached her one time at an exhibit, “You want to join?” she was asked and after that, she has been a regular exhibitor at that place.

Through the years, Fe has been a single parent and now also a grandmother. She has grown used to being partner-less, knowing the great difficulties of keeping a husband and supporting a family at the same time.

Sometimes though she reminisces on those more profitable times and wishes they would return. She recalled going to Batangas, the land of Ate Vi, as she referred to her. “Kumita ako.” Another time was in Tarlac, “kina Cory” wherein a group of women invited her. “Maganda, provided pa yung tulugan namin for 2 nights,” she described her experience. (It was good; they even provided for our resting place for two nights.)

The bane of business is when the mothers do not speed up their work and deliver on time. Fe is not able to keep up with the orders at the malls, despite the fact that she has one embroiderer from Cainta who is working full time. “Kasi hindi lang yun ang gawa nila. Magpapakain muna,” she explained. (Embroidering is not their sole work; they still have to take care of the gastronomic needs of their family first.)

Intricacies of the trade

Despite the hardships, Fe sticks to hand-made embroidery as her customers appreciate their uniqueness, are discerning of what is handmade and machine-made, and always preferring the former. Besides, she said it is difficult to work with a machine if a piece requires several colors of thread.

“Gusto ng mga buyer maraming burda, kaya bihira yung mga kokonti; so binibigay ko talaga at sa mababang halaga,” she said. (More buyers prefer plenty of embroidery; so I really give it to them and at a low price.)

Even the tastes of her customers are embedded in Fe’s system. “Mga high end ang bumibili. Pag summer gusto ng mga tao sleeveless. Bihira yung may gusto ng ¾. Pag December naman, hanap nila yung long sleeved, mga Kaftan. Pero hanap rin nila, may kolar, o walang kolar.” (Products are for high end. In summer, customers prefer sleeveless, rarely with ¾. In December, they look for the sleeved blouses or Kaftan dresses. They are also selective of blouses that have collar or no collar.)

The network of Fe’s sewers is rather extensive, with leaders from Cainta, Novaliches, and Caloocan getting from and delivering orders to her. This eases up a lot of her work, making her concentrate on marketing and other minor tasks.

Fe wishes she could feel inspired to continue the business no matter how great the difficulties are now – like low production, marketing on consignment basis which saps up her capital and profit. The greatest dent in her business is the lack of time to even take a vacation. One time she still cannot manage to pay up a loan from an international women’s fund due to her low sales and the unpredictability of the market.

“Sabi ng mga kababaihan, ‘Ito si Pinangga, ang yaman-yaman na nito.’ Pero hindi nila alam, na kaunti lang. isang kahig, isang tuka ang kita ko. Pagkolek, mo, maraming bayarin. Kailangang mamili na naman ng supplies. Kasi kailangang magtinda ka na naman,” she said with sadness. “Pero wala ka naming mapagtindahan araw-araw.”
(Women would say, ‘Pinangga is very rich already.’ They don’t know that it earns only a little, a scratch and a peck. After getting the payment, out goes the funds again for purchase of supplies so you can keep on selling. )

Weak body, high spirits


Fe now is also facing health problems like diabetes, fading eyesight and physical weakness from having to take care of administrative duties like going to Divisoria to buy the supplies, taxiing the products and then attending bazaars where she has to sales talk her customers into buying her products.

Her advice to anyone entering the business: “Kailangan dito, may kaalaman ka at tiyaga.” (You must have knowledge and perseverance.)

Perhaps another advice should be given to trade and industry officials for them to provide regular outlets with ethical practices for her products and not just let her float in the laissez-faire economy.

Every product of Fe goes through the soft touch of her women workers, which actually gives reality to the name of their business, Pinangga, a Visayan term meaning “minahal” or loved. So as customers wear the clothes, they feel much loved and cared for.
Pinangga can be reached at tel. no. 7248284 or Cellfone: 09294507729
SAMPAGUITA NG AKING BUHAY
KAY BANGO PAG-IBIG ANG ALAY
BAWA’T BUTIL MAY DALANG ALAALA
TUWA AT LUNGKOT, HIRAP AT GINHAWA

ISA-ISA KANG TINUTUHOG
PERLAS NA MGA TALULOT
KARAKA’Y SA LEEG NAGIGING HIYAS
HALIMUYAK MO’Y ABOT-LANGIT SA WAGAS

SAMPAGUITA ALAY SA LAHAT
HALINA’T ILAWIT SA DIBDIB
O IKORONA SA BUHOK AT ULO
PALAMUTI SA REYNA AT SA HARI

ALTERNATIVE HEALING: WHEN HEALTH IS WEALTH


By Wilhelmina S. Orozco

Many people when feeling sick or have sick relatives readily run to a medical clinic or doctor in order to get healed. And usually, the kind of treatment they get is allopathic, or that which uses medicines processed by laboratories. Rarely do they get naturapathic treatment which is a not really new movement in the field of healing.

In our country, naturapathic goes back centuries even before the coming of the Spaniards. Our ancestors, the herbalists in them, were already using herbs, plants, and other natural substances in order to produce concoctions that could heal their subjects, coupled with prayers and even dancing. The Babaylan mostly women with a sprinkling of men, were such people readily approached by the common folks in order to heal their sick, and among other things, pray over the dead, as well as over start of and harvest gains in order to appease or thank their gods and goddesses. In other words, using natural herbs and plants, the Babaylan sought godly intervention and guidance in order to conduct all of those activities.

Behind those practices were the beliefs that healing takes place with divine intervention and not through human touch alone, and that healing also has to be connected with Mother Nature, not apart from it.

Hence, naturapathic healing is very much an easy but long-lasting approach to treatment which has now gained its rightful place in the health field in our country. No less than the Philippine General Hospital has a Department of Traditional and Indigenous Medicines proposed by former Secretary of Health, Jaime Galvez Tan. Amidst us are many herbal medicines, ranging from capsulized charantia and lagundi, to the herbal teas like the same lagundi, pito-pito (seven herbs) both concocted by inventor Erlinda Sanqui and her husband Jose, tsaang gubat, and many more. Then we also have Bioneem, a bacteria cleaning agent sourced from the neem leaves by no less than the most famous woman inventor, Carlita Rex Doran; herbal eyedrops with toothache healing properties like the Panlapu by Ms. Ramona Castro-Acuna, and liniment oils that are used for body massage. Probiotics drink and elemi oil have been invented by Jose Ingles with the first helping those having problems with elimination, and also who want to undergo rejuvenation. Elemi oil meanwhile is used as aromatherapy and for massage also.

In terms of treatment, the Richter Alternative Medicinal Clinic espouses the use of naturapathic practices. It was started in 1994 by Ms. Cecilia Almasa married to Ruel Lucentalles and who hails from Davao.

“Taga Davao kami, Ilonggo. Pero ang parents ko, taga Iloilo. My mother Nieves Esmejarda is from ilioilo and my father Bernardino Alamasa is from Bohol. 9kapatid, ako ang panganay. Nag nursing ako kasi yun ang gusto ko.” Thus, Ms. Lucentalles took up preparatory nursing at Centro Escolar University 1974 and then proceeded with her internship at Ortanez University from 1974-75.

From Mindanao to Manila
Being the eldest, Ms. Lucentalles had the drive to pursue further studies like iridology and naturapathy, especially colonics, which then attracted her to start her own clinic offering those practices. Iridology is a form of eye examination which reveals the diseases in the body while colonics is a form of intestinal cleansing.

The family established the first clinic in 1998, in Davao, and then the branches in 2000, in Cebu and Manila during which they also included medical practices thus allowing patients to get confined for complete detoxification therapy. In other words, they started this integrative practice of using medical drugs, blood transfusion, and use of antibiotics, side by side with alternative forms.

“Dati alternative (lang ang offer naming) like colonics, herbal therapy and other modalities, but in 2000, we started medical, (accepting patients for inhouse detoxification. Complete detoxification therapy which enhances the condition of the eliminative organs includes “irrigating” the skin, lungs, kidney, colon, and the lymphatics system. ‘Habang nililinis yung katawan, ina-adres talaga ang sakit.’

Richter Clinic also has resident doctors and consultants for medical treatment while on the naturapathic side, Ms. Lucentalles guides every program they offer, whether infrared, accupuncture, juicing therapy, and iridology.

Mel Pasion, a breast cancer patient once confined was given dextrose as her body was expelling food taken through the mouth, while her health medicines included both vegetarian pills and antibiotics to counter the spreading cancer cells in her body organs.



All kinds of cancer patients from breast to brain tumor and even those who do not feel pain but have tumor are admitted at the clinic. Many prefer it probably because of its homey atmosphere, a room having an extra bed for those caring for a patient the whole day, colorful curtains and decorative paintings adorning the walls.

Timing important in arresting cancer
However, full medical support is not enough for a patient to heal. The patient and the immediate family have to work together to show courage in overcoming the disease. Ms. Lucentalles said that if only patients would come to them when their cancer is just benign, there is 100 percent chance of recovering. However, “90 per cent of cancer patients enter Richter when their condition can be labeled grave to gravest already. They refuse to go to the hospital. Ayaw nilang lumipat sa hospital. Galing na sila duon. Ayaw na nilang ma-ICU. So dito na lang sila hanggang mamatay sila.” (They refuse to transfer to a hospital; some who had been there also refuse; they don’t want to undergo ICU treatment. So some stay here until they eventually die.)

Ironically, the name of the clinic, Richter is no fancy name but rather that of the discoverer of the scale used for measuring earthquakes. Richter is also the name of Ms Lucentalles’ son,Richter Jose born in 1980, and whom they had named as such, because of their past experience with a strong earthquake registering 7 in the Richter scale and which hit Cotabato City in 1976.

Since 1994, the clinic has had over 35,000 patients overall including Cebu and Davao which do not offer confinement unlike that in Manila with patients numbering about 3000 already.

Types of naturapathic herbs
Naturapathic consists of oral, injectable and paretheral. Oral food supplements are for cleansing, reparing cells, strengthening and nourishing the body. Some patients who cannot tolerate oral administration are giveninjectables like the vitamin C drip.

Ms. Lucentalles has found that those patients with families not offering support for alternative therapy do not get cured. This is because at present, to go alternative is considered conservative as against modern. “Sa atin, pag nagkasakit punta ka sa duktor, bili ka ng medicine (unlike) in other countries, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, traditional muna ang punta bago ang medical.

Nutraceutical - for natural healing herbals
“But this (naturapathy) is the original way of healing,” said Ms. Lucentalles. “Yan ang sinauna. Labatiba. Magkasakit ka, sumakit ang tiyan, labatibahin. Hilot, kasama yan. Ngayon Medicol, Biogesic tablets (pag masakit ang ulo.) Mas mabilis ang bumili ng gamut.
Nutraceutical is the opposite of pharmaceutical as it is a take off from the word nutrition. Nutraceutical means converting herbs into capsule forms. For example, malunggay leaves are dried and inserted in capsules for sale in packs.

To propagate “Wellness is better than cure,” mission, Richter conducts seminars about naturapathy and iridology. Promotion of its offerings is by word of mouth now which has been proven more effective. Its approaches are integrative, touching on the “spiritual, physical and emotional needs of the patient. ” Prayers and counseling are included to relax the many cancer patients who suffer from all kinds of stresses.

As medicines are too expensive to purchase for those sickly individuals, naturapathy affords a type of healing that could well be longer-lasting than those pills and capsules that could induce speedy recovery but not stronger resistance to viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses. Hence the adage, "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure." Cheap herbs that are easy to make into naturapathic healing elements could prove to be the Philippines' saving grace now and for all times.