Caneo loom weaving sought to be upgraded

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The loom weaving industry of Barangay Caneo here is set to be upgraded.

In a turnover ceremonyJuly 11, Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey received the approved funds for the undertaking from Julius Caesar Sicat, the Regional Director for the Department of Science and Technology-Cordillera.

The P275,000 fund awarded by DOST was requested by the Bontoc Local Government Unit under the Science and Technology for the Advancement of Municipalities (STEAM) Program of DOST-CAR.

Mayor Odsey said that the fund will be used to procure the necessary equipment for the members of the Caneo Women Weavers Association, which is the beneficiary of the project. 

In his speech during the turnover program, Sicat explained that STEAM projects are aimed at improving the quality of products and the production processes of community-based industries.

As for the Caneo weaving industry, it is sought to be enhanced through the introduction of upgraded looms and a high speed sewing machine in the production of woven products like bags, purses, tapis, G-strings, and chalecos.

Grateful yet again for the approval of one of the Bontoc LGU’s requested assistance from the national government, Odsey stated that the upgrade will help raise the socio-economic status of the beneficiaries.

With 15 members at present, the beneficiary-organization sells its products during the annual municipal Am-among Festival and the provincial Lang-ay Festival.

As opposed to weavers from other barangays who purely use backstrap weaving method, members of the Caneo Women Weavers Association have evolved their method from backstrap weaving to loom weaving. Whereas production through the former is manual and is thus slower, production through the latter is much faster because of the loom equipment. - Desiree Sokoken