By Mariela Angella Oladive
The Baraclayan Weavers Association (BWA) in Miagao will receive an additional P372,520 in shared service facilities (SSF) from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) this year.
In a statement released on Monday, the DTI announced that the BWA will benefit from its third SSF project, which includes industrial sewing machines, an embroidery machine, and additional handlooms.
This coincides with the anticipated completion of their two-story production and showroom facility.
The association first benefited from the SSF project in 2018, receiving six handlooms and accessories.
In 2020, they received seven steel handlooms, a wrapping frame, a spooling wheel, and a manual sewing machine.
Last year, the association acquired seven wooden looms with accessories and edging embroidery machines.
The SSF project is a flagship initiative by the DTI aimed at enhancing the productivity and efficiency of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through access to advanced technology.
According to the DTI, the SSF project seeks to improve MSME competitiveness by providing essential machinery, equipment, tools, systems, and other auxiliary items, along with the necessary skills and knowledge, under a shared system between private and public partnerships.
Currently, the BWA comprises 32 weavers who produce a diverse range of products, including hablon cloth made from cotton, polycotton, polyabaca, and polypiña, as well as table linens and tote bags.
Their loom-weaving center is a contender for the DTI Best Shared Service Facility Project in Western Visayas for 2024.
