A cooperative in Aklan involved in the piña-weaving industry has been identified by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as its qualified cooperator/partner in the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) Project under its “Big Push” for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development Program in the province.
The SSF, according to DTI-Aklan Provincial Director Diosdado P. Cadena, Jr., is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative which will be implemented through a private sector partner which can provide sustainable facilities to house the machinery and equipment.
Under the scheme, the Handicraft of Aklan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Hampco) will be given 50 handloom units which will be forwarded to its identified recipients in the municipalities of Kalibo, Lezo and Makato.
Kalibo, the piña loom-weaving capital of Aklan will have 13 handlooms which will be given to Barangays New Buswang and Old Buswang; Lezo will have 17 handlooms with Poblacion and Ibao as recipient barangays and Makato, through Barangay Tina, will get 20 handlooms.
Hampco was chosen by the DTI as it could provide sustainable facilities to house the machinery and equipment.
The SSF Project intends to enhance the priority industry clusters through the use of quality and productivity enhancing machinery and equipment and develop priority and market-driven industries in support to National Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Program.
It is seen that through this project, existing microenterprises and SMEs in the priority clusters within the poorest 609 municipalities in the country will be benefited.
The SSF Launching, according to the DTI here, will be launched on April 30 in time with the conduct of the Aklan Investment Conference (ICON) 2013, which will be graced by DTI Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and other national and local officials.
Hampco was established on December 27, 1989 and presently has 385 members with 141 workers like weavers, knitters, warpers, sewers, embroiderers and painters.
Its major products include abaca silk, abaca piña, abaca basket weave, piña cloth, abaca cloth, piña seda shawl and piña seda barong.
Its market is both domestic and foreign: Boracay, Manila, Cebu, Pampanga and Palawan and Japan, France and Italy.
