LAGONOY, Camarines Sur--- Because of the thriving ‘soft’ broom (walis-tambo in Tagalog, samhod in Bicol) production industry, the eastern villages of this town are not heavily dependent on fishing despite lying next to Lagonoy Gulf, a rich fishing ground.

        Fishing is still an important source of living but residents, especially those from Barangay Kinahulugan, are more occupied with broom-making—turning only to the sea when the demand for brooms goes down.

        Bobby Bañaga, 40, said he learned how to make soft broom from his father, who was one of those who pioneered broom-making in this town during the 1970s, adding that he had raised his family and sent his children to school by making soft brooms of all kind and sizes that sell from P35-70 each.

        Bañaga also said broom-making business was profitable especially during the second quarter of every year when the higher demand for the cleaning tool would raise its price.

Demand-driven

        When the demand for soft broom in neighboring towns would be lowered due to an excess in production during the peak season, he said he would go as far as Panay Island, Quezon Province, and Masbate to sell his products.

        He shared that there was an instance when the costumer who ordered soft broom in large quantities and promised to give the payment later broke the agreement and run away from him. This situation, he said, almost ruined his business.

        But he had learned not to commit the same mistakes by transacting only with costumers who had permanent selling stalls.

        Medina Francia, 60, who heads the Lagonoy Soft Broom Makers Association, said most of the broom-makers in their barangay have their own plantations set aside for tiger grass.

        Dried tiger grass blossom and stalk are the main raw materials in broom-making.

        Francia added that having a cultivated area for tiger grass had made broom-making more cost-effective as there would be no need to buy most of the needed raw materials, which include metal wires, plastic rattan, and softwood.

        But Francia bewailed that there were instances when local capitalists would buy dried tiger grass blossom in bundles and store it until the demand for the raw material increases in the later part of the year so broom-makers would be forced to buy the raw material at a higher price. T

        hese local capitalists, according to her, also had contacts with buyers from as far as Nueva Ecija and Bataan provinces, where they would sell the raw material at almost double the original price of P350 per bundle.

        One local buyer of dried tiger grass blossom said that selling the raw material in other provinces was much more lucrative than broom-making because raw material buyers would pay in cash while those who order ready-made broom for retailing would pay in installment at an indefinite term.

Labor- intensive

        Broom-making, though labor-intensive, is not very costly, according to broom-makers in this town, as long as there are available raw materials. Mass producers compensate workers who do the intricate processes required in broom-making at a pay-per-work basis.

        Step by step processes in broom-making includes drying of tiger grass blossom, bundling, weaving, wood handle polishing, and many other processes that does not require much physical effort.

Local government support

        Engr. Lany Pesimo, planning and development coordinator of this town, said the municipal government had been providing pre-production and post-production technical assistance to broom-makers in the eastern coastal villages that include San Sebastian, Panagan, Kinahulugan, Omalo, Panicuan, and Manamoc.

        She said the municipal government especially assists broom-makers in promoting their products by enabling them to participate in trade fairs in places as far as Metro Manila, and by helping out in achieving a more attractive packaging for the soft brooms from this town through enhanced labeling techniques.

        She added they had been coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology on devising equipment which could provide ease to broom-makers especially on readying the raw materials.

        As of now, more than 33 hectares of land in this municipality are planted with tiger grass, while the local government is sourcing fund to finance the construction of a warehouse where broom-makers could store tiger grass blossom bundles every after harvest season to ensure year round supply of the raw material.


BROOM BOOM. Bobby Bañaga of Kinahulugan, Lagonoy earns a living and supports his family by making soft brooms. He has been into broom-making, which he learned from his father, since the 1970s. (R) Newly-made soft brooms.

JONAS CABILES SOLTES