Sitio Madaja is located in the northern portion of Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City with a distance of approximately 15 kilometers away from the city proper. The terrain characteristics of this place are mostly hilly, muddy, and mountainous.
The area was once inhabited by the rebel groups and prone to the “clustering” or “leapfrogging” methodology of the rebel groups in organizing the masses. Problems such as illiteracy coupled with the lies and deception of the NPA organizers put the community vulnerable to NPA’s – Arouse, Organize and Mobilize (AOM) strategy.
Despite the geographical location of the area and the risk that continues to hover, the Association of Negros Producers (ANP), Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc. (HBONI), and CPSU Radyo Muscovado Sweet FM (RMSFM) conducted a simultaneous activity on Entrepreneurial Mind-setting with Basic Financial Recording Talk for the profiled tikog weavers, health and sanitation talk, and tutorial session for the children who are literacy and numeracy struggling at Sitio Madaja, Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Philippines on August 13.
Villagers are into farming but only limited for their consumption and not designed for commercialization or for selling purposes, but since some elders of the community can weave different products out of “tikog” and other raw materials available in the area, almost 20 tikog weavers were invited to convene at the residence of Wilme Garlet, to attend the Entrepreneurial Mind-setting with Basic Product Pricing and Costing spearheaded by Sybel Nobleza, ANP External Affairs manager, so that the weavers will be galvanized and equipped with knowledge as to the proper costing and marketing of their products.
Weavers extended their heartfelt gratitude to ANP for the opportunity to be mentored and for helping them to market their crafts not just on the local scale but in an international perspective of upscaling.
During the initial assessment, the community only garnered an average income of P1,000 in a month.
This prompted the ANP to intervene and brought a sample product to the Negros Showroom in Bacolod City to market the product. Today, the community already received plenty of orders for their tikog products amounting to P15,000 and more.
Also, 25 children were invited to join the one-on-one tutorial session with the assistance of four 4 volunteer teachers coming from the Department of Education and some youth volunteers from Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc.
The children also received food packs and school supplies.
After the activity, the Association of Negros Producers, Radyo Muscovado Sweet FM, and Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc. vowed to further bolster ties with the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army headed to help and capacitate the organization’s adopted community at Sitio Madaja. Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City. (PR)