By Adriane Ansel Melanio, BA COMM 4 Intern

BA Communication students with the abaca weavers of Brgy. Tuburan, Janiuay, Iloilo.

Learnings outside the four-walled classrooms–CPU Communication student interns came to see personally the Tuburan Abaca Handicraft Association (TAHA) in Janiuay, Iloilo on May 22, 2023 as part of their final project in CE Arts 2 – Indigenous Creative Crafts under Prof. Clarence Benjamin.

The said visit came out successful as the student interns were able to document the processes and techniques on abaca making. It is also an initiative to promote the local product of Janiuay and exhibit the artistry of the Tuburan weavers in creating a unique fabric.

According to TAHA president Flora Insolente, the association was organized in 2007 whose main objective is to make abaca into a useful textile. The workforce was composed of a majority of women who completed secondary education. Others are sugarcane plantation workers and plain housewives. She also stated that the association’s first capital was just P10,000.00 in supplies, which was insufficient to sustain the operating capital. Additionally, Typhoon Yolanda destroyed the facility in 2013 that caused a major setback that also triggered the succeeding years to be challenging and stiff in some ways. However, she said that with the cooperation of the local government, the association was able to regenerate with the loss.

One of its desires is to create additional employment opportunities for the locals and more innovative products that will meet the demands of the people and the market as a whole. Products produced were bags, hats, baskets and many more.

This visit served as a meaningful experience for the communication students: documentation and hearing the stories of other people in the community, as they were given the opportunity as well as the glimpse of the field they are taking.