NGCP wraps up Project BARO for Buhi weavers

Sample products of Buhi weavers from blankets to bags, footwears and other accessories. (JRM-PIA5/Camarines Sur)

BUHI, Camarines Sur --- The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) marked the final leg of its livelihood project established in Buhi, this province, in a simple but impressive closing ceremony, held Friday, Nov. 23 at Magindara Resort, here.

Dubbed “Project BARO,”

NGCP envisioned the project to augment, not just the financial needs of the community but to uplift their self-worth and create avenue where they can develop their weaving skills and ingenuity. The Kalinga Indigenous Weavers Association (KINWA) from Tabuk City, Kalinga and Buhi One Town One Product Key Players Association (BOKPA) from Buhi, Camarines Sur became the project’s main beneficiaries.

The weavers went through three (3) phases, starting off in 2017 until this year which eventually honed their capabilities as artisans and entrepreneurs and equipped them with knowledge to make the organization self-sustaining.

NGCP Bicol Regional Communications and Public Affairs Officer Nilda Somera said that the 3-year project have gone a long way since it started in 2017.

“Finally after 3 years, we are now concluding the project but it doesn’t mean that we are closing the opportunities. In fact, for our 68 graduates, this is just the beginning of more prospects -- to improve their crafts and earn. We are happy that through Project BARO, we were able to produce entrepreneurs whose skills were enhanced and now ready to share this knowledge to their community,” Somera added.

Somera also thanked NGCP’s partners, particularly the local government unit of Buhi headed by Mayor Margarita Aguinillo, the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Gugu – a social enterprise that seeks to empower Filipino culture and livelihood “by developing hand-loomed textiles into mainstream fashion philosophy” and Risque Designs, a Filipino lifestyle brand that promotes the revival of traditional crafts.

“We also would like to thank the NGCP Corporate Initiative Advocacy Division (CIAD) team as the lead group for the success of Project BARO. We all look forward that after today, this will pave the way for a wider market reach, improved quality and design of fabric, more production and more income for our local weaver NGCP’s Project BARO started in 2017, with the main objective of uplifting the quality of life of the traditional weavers from various host communities at the same time, promote and preserve weaving as a cultural heritage in areas where it is seen to thrive.

Buhi is one of the host communities where NGCP’s lines traverse. Project BARO is just one of the many initiatives and projects that the power corporation implements as a way of saying thank you to the community for ensuring that the grid lines are safe and protected. (LSMacatangay-PIAV/Camarines Sur)

Sample products and outputs of Buhi weavers who completed the training under NGCP’s “Project Baro” were displayed during the closing ceremony of the project held on Nov. 22, 2019 at Magindara Resort, Buhi, Camarines Sur. (JRM-PIA5/Camarines Sur)