TABUK CITY, Kalinga – 25 individuals from Barangay Cudal finished the seven-day course on manufacturing macramé bags that the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) offered from August 8–14.
This skill-building exercise intends to give moms and unemployed women in Cudal practical abilities to support their families financially, said Rizal Sta. Inez, the assistant for labor and employment, during today’s closing.
In order to access a larger skills training program and a fund up to P500,000.00 for any business activity of their choice, he further urged the learners to form a group and register it with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
While this was going on, city councilor Lucretina Sarol, Chair of the Committee on Social Services, expressed her support and desire for the Cudal women to succeed and for their bag-making skills to be improved and their enterprises to be sustainable.
City Public Employment Service Officer Loyda Saboy, who was also present at the ceremony, stressed in her message that the municipal government’s response to the seven-day skills training was to lessen the economic effects of the pandemic, particularly for people who do not have a regular source of income.
Saboy exhorted the learners to use their expertise to generate income in order to supplement their farming income. She continued by saying that finishing the class demonstrated women’s empowerment and eagerness to acquire new skills.
As recalled, the trainees were identified by the barangay based on their line of interest and were supervised by accredited trainers by Rhana Layugan and Mayflor Aligayen from Barangay Magsaysay.
Each trainee received enough materials to make one macrame bag, including 20 rolls of macrame thread, a ring, a slider, a zipper, and cloth.
All skill-training programs provided to all sectors to enable people to be productive citizens have the full backing of Mayor Darwin Estrañero as he believes that those who get skills and livelihood training from the city government will put what they learn to good use.
Other training programs offered by the PESO include basic masonry for Sitio Talaca and Barangay Agbannawag, mushroom cultivation for Barangay Calaccad, food processing (producing tocino, longanisa, and tapa) for Barangay Lanna and Masablang, and macrame bag manufacturing for Barangay Calanan. For funding, marketing, and promotion strategies, these activities are closely partnered with a number of organizations, including the Department of Labor and Employment provincial offices, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Science and Technology.