Through ups and downs

FAWAS story of rising after the ebbs

The night was dark but the Fabrica Elementary School was glowing with different colors of fancy lights that the stars in the sky were shy to show off their brilliance. There were other stars in this night. They were young and beautifully dressed with elegant gowns. As they emerge on the stage and the spotlight draw on them one by one, the crowd applauded and shouted in admiration. They were the candidates in the search for Miss Fabrica in Bulan, Sorsogon. Twelve rural women in Barangay Fabrica initiated this idea of sponsoring a charity contest in order to generate fund.

They promised to give each participant with piglet as a prize or consolation for joining in the search. Unfortunately, the amount they have collected in the charity contest was smaller than the total amount of their promised prize. To settle the crisis, they decided to apply for a loan in Self Employment Assistance Kaunlaran (SEA-K) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Thenceforth, the DSWD invited them to attend Leadership Training in order for them to become a strong association. Since they were all women and they live in barangay Fabrica, they call their group Fabrica Women’s Association or FAWAS.

The four officers of FAWAS preparing Mom’s Best Pili Molido
for export in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The piglets that they prized to the participants of the charity contest have been grown and part of their agreement was to give back to their group two piglets from the same breed so that they can continue their hog dispersal project. Eventually, with this concept, FAWAS was able to recover from their loss, although it takes a while. Before they received the yields of their labor, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) assisted them in the registration of their organization in the Securities of Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 14, 1998. Thereafter, they opened a bank account where they keep their funds. Their organization has twenty-five (25) membership at that time.

As a reward to themselves, they used their funds in tours, Christmas celebration, and birthday parties of the members. Their lack of knowledge on financial management resulted to bankruptcy. In 1999, their bank account has closed. In order to rise again, they went back on sponsoring charity contests and even a search for Ms. Gay.

In 2000, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) appeared at their threshold. Once again, they opened a new bank account. They invested Php3,000.00 in money lending. But in the end, only half of that amount was returned to the association. Some borrowers failed to pay their loan obligation.

They continued to be loyal in the association, anyway. They used the remaining savings in attending a one-month training on Food Processing in Legazpi City, sponsored by DTI. It was supposed to be a break for them because the agency offered to give them a Freezer. The DAR is about to provide them a piece of land and a building. The LGU-Bulan will be their client but they choose to work individually. So, the association did not earn anything from their labor.

“The association has no equipment and cooking tools for the food processing production that’s why we did not produce as an association. We thought that we will not be provided with those things,” explained Carmen Gliponeo, FAWAS Chairperson.

The luck was still so kind to them because the DAR was about to provide them with Thresher and Tractor which can be used by their husbands in farming, but again they refused.

“We refused because our husbands are more comfortable to work in the farm with their carabaos. We also lack knowledge on business management if we lease those equipment. So, what are we going to do with those things? We better not accept them,” Gliponeo said.

Needless to say, they sponsored again a charity contest as part of the barangay fiesta celebration. This is the easiest way they thought to collect additional fund for the association. This time, it was Mrs. Fabrica search. They kept the proceeds at the Bank. Later, they used it to finance their Travelling Expenses Vouchers (TEVs) whenever they attended trainings. Until only Php15,000.00 was left which was withdrawn by the former chairperson and the treasurer causing their account to be closed again. That amount was put into money lending according to the two officers, but the borrowers did not pay.

It was the point in FAWAS history that the members began to lose their confidence with the officers. Like an aircraft that lost its break, the organization fell and faced with great wreckage.

In 2012, through the effort of Madeleine C. Belmonte, the Development Facilitator of DAR in Bulan, they were re-organized. Then, they attended trainings on Pili Processing with the Public Employment Service Office (PESO). They were taught to use pilinuts in lieu of peanut for every candies and pastries that uses peanut like molido, brittle, buding, chocolate coated, etc.

Gil Garrido, Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer
of Bulan greets Carmen Gliponeo, Chairperson of FAWAS.
Behind are other members of FAWAS, the Technical Assistant
and VLPCE Focal Person of DAR Sorsogon

“Each of us tried the new thing we learned with our household first. In 2013, Lynn Erevete, the technical assistant assigned to us, encouraged our association to produce pili sweets and make it the flagship of FAWAS,” Gliponeo said.

By that time, their membership was twenty-four (24) but only the half of that is active. Nonetheless, with their new product, they were again ready for takeoff.  So, on September 16, 2014 the DAR helped them to be registered in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Being cautious now from the lessons learned, they attended series of training workshops that were facilitated by Maribel J. Lubiano such as Financial Management; Basic Accounting for Non-Accountant; Internal Control; Business Management and Entrepreneurship; Organizational Policies, Systems and Procedures; and other capacity development related trainings.

“Afterwards, Madam Liza Repotente gave us one thousand pesos for additional capital to start our Pili Processing business. It’s her way of expressing her good luck wishes to us,” Gliponeo said.

From then on, they engaged themselves in the production of Pili candies and pastries. To be able to identify them with other producers, they called their products “Mom’s Best” because they are all mothers, and they believed that they know what’s best for those pili sweet lovers. They participated in trade fairs like Urgulyo kan Bicol at the Mega Mall, Kasanggayahan Trade Fair in Sorsogon City, Gainza Trade Fair in Naga City, and Food Caravan in Bulan, Sorsogon.

On January 26, 2016 they became a recipient of Village Level Processing Center Enhancement (VLPCE) Program of DAR which became their gateway in obtaining more equipment, tools, and other materials which are necessary for their venture. Aside from that, they also received support services from the Agrarian Reform Communities’ Project II (ARCP2).

“We are so grateful to DAR. For all the ups and downs in our life as an association, it is the DAR that did not gave up on us. It poured all the resources we needed to raise up again. It inspired us to sustain this endeavor,” Gliponeo said.

This summer, FAWAS has plans of imparting their knowledge to the farmers’ children in their area because they want to generate next liners who can produce the sweets as tasty as their produce. Mom’s Best products such as Pili Molido, Pili Brittle, and Peanut Butter are the favorite pasalubongs of the travellers, and in schools. It is also available anytime upon orders.

Like a yacht that floats in a turbulent sea, the FAWAS needs a courageous captain to surpass all the trials. But as long as the support of DAR is there, they are confident that no matter how deep the ebbs of tide plunge them, they are able to rise again.  ###