by Franklin P. Gumapon
SIOCON, Zamboanga del Norte, March 13 (PIA) – A group of women from Barangay Sta. Maria of this town are now engaged in bottled sardines making as their livelihood.
These women, who are mostly housewives of small fishermen, were fresh fish and dried fish vendors before they underwent training on bottled sardines processing conducted to them for free by the Dipolog School of Fisheries (DSF) with a funding assistance from the TVI Resource Development Phils., a mining firm operating in Sitio Canatuan, Barangay Tabayo of this town.
Manuela Canonayon, 48, president of Sta. Maria Women’s Association, said in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) some 50 women had participated in the training, but presently only 15 of them are directly involved in the processing and production of bottled sardines.
Canonayon recalled that her group, which is composed of Christian and Muslim women, never thought of embarking on bottled sardines making as they lack training and some capital to start with.
Her vice president, Nahala Salman, 50, a member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) also said the group was incapable of procuring cooking utensils and other equipment to be used in processing bottled sardines. But all these were met through the help of TVI.
TVI shouldered the training expenses and bought the group cooking utensils and equipment needed for the purpose. The company shelled out more than P100,000 for this project.
Canonayon disclosed that the pressure cooker alone bought by TVI for the group already amounted to P32,000. Her group was also given other cooking utensils like stainless strainer, big basins, weighing scales and others.
The group labeled its Spanish-style sardines in oil as “Mananam,” a Tausug word which means delicious. It processed 142 bottles during its first production and another 177 bottles lately.
Social development program
When asked why TVI has been extending help to Sta. Maria Women’s Association, Julma Esmali-Villanueva of TVI’s Community Relations and Development Office (CREDO) said “it is part of the social development management program of the company” to provide sustainable livelihood to the host community particularly the marginal groups.
Aside from the Sta. Maria Women’s Association, TVI has also extended assistance to the fishermen of Sitio Busikong in Sta. Maria, the Subanens at Sitio Canatuan in Barangay Tabayo and provided scholarship grants to poor but deserving students.
A certain Cynthia Comisas Lacpao, who is now a company nurse, was one of TVI scholars. Her parents are Subanens.
Empowering the women
“Giving the women livelihood opportunities is one way of empowering them,” said Julma Esmali-Villanueva.
Villanueva said the members of Sta. Maria Women’s Association were plain housewives before and they tried to help augment their family earning by selling fresh fish or dried fish. “They really lived hand to mouth,” she stressed.
As these women are now engaged in bottled sardines making, they are hopeful that their living condition will get better in the days ahead. (FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)
