DAVAO CITY – After losing their jobs due to the health crisis, a group of local weavers and workers in a cooperative that exports bamboos in Cotabato province are now overwhelmed with the increase of orders for the face shields made of bamboo.
“We received a huge number of orders in almost all parts of the country,” said Manuel Jayme, the business manager and a co-founder of the Central Mindanao Green Workers Association in Kidapawan City.
Jayme, who also manages and co-founded Community Halal Producers Cooperative, said their group advocates the use of bamboo “for protection and development of the environment against the current global warming” and was supposed to export bamboo slats to the United States.
”We had planted some 7,000 bamboos in Cotabato Province. We also supported the processing of bamboo led by Community Halal Cooperative in Kabacan,” added Jayme.
However, due to the health crisis brought by the coronavirus disease pandemic, their US buyer has temporarily suspended the importation of the bamboo slots causing workers to lose their jobs since February this year.
But they’re now back in business.
They’re getting a minimum of 3,000 orders of face shields a month from their existing NGO buyers. Jayme said seven workers can produce 150 to 200 bamboo face shields a day. They currently have 14 workers. (Zea Capistrano)