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REMIT4CHANGE Remit4Change seeks to channel a small portion of OFWs’ remittances for worthy causes such as micro-financing for small business and low-cost housing.
WHEN THAT $1 SENT HOME IS WORTH MORE THAN $1
What if there’s a way to tap the billions of dollars that OFWs remit to expand the reach of every dollar or yen or lira sent to address even bigger needs? What if a bank or a remittance company donates an amount – say, a dollar, or ten pesos – to a worthy cause for every transaction? BY BENJAMIN PIMENTEL
HIS IS about money. But it’s not about getting rich. Well, it is – but not in the way we usually think about getting rich. We all know about the astounding amount of money Filipinos send back home each year. In 2010, the figure was roughly $19 billion, making the Philippines the fourth largest recipient of remittance funds after India, China and Mexico, according to Philippine and World Bank data.
In 2010, OFWs sent home roughly $19 billion, making the Philippines the fourth largest recipient of remittance funds after India, China and Mexico.
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Nine months after it began, Remit4Change has signed up 3,000 participating remitters, mostly from Mexico and El Salvador. That’s money used to send Jun-Jun and Inday to college, to set up Aling Mina’s sarisari store, to buy appliances for the OFW’s family. Or to provide for a family’s most basic needs. It has kept the Philippine economy afloat for decades. Now, what if there’s a way to tap that economic power to expand the reach of every dollar or yen or lira sent to address even bigger needs? What if a bank or a remittance company donates an amount – say, a dollar, or ten pesos – to a worthy cause for every transaction? Multiplied by the millions, or tens of millions, it certainly means a lot. It could help take on not just the needs of the family of the nurse working at a US hospital, or the engineer at a Saudi Arabian construction site, but also those of their community, their province, their country. That’s the idea behind Remit4Change. The new program is spearheaded by two friends of mine in the San Francisco Bay Area. Richard Cavosora is a social
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REMITTANCE INVESTMENT PROJECT LAUNCHED
T A pepper farm in Mindanao put up by the NGO Unlad Kabayan, one target beneficiary of Remit4Change. producers in poor countries. In the case of Remit4Change, Richard says, the goal is not just to encourage philanthropy. “We’re also trying to change the marketplace in terms of bringing corporate responsibility as a factor in the way consumers choose their companies.” The Remit4Change concept is fairly straightforward. As part of the program, you get to choose from participating money transfer organizations which have agreed to donate a set amount per transaction. You also get to choose the community program or organization the money transfer organization’s contribution should support. TIGRA first tested the program in Latin America where it has helped groups such as the Salvadoran Association of Financial Education, which works on development issues in underprivileged communities in El Salvador. On the donor side, Remit4Change has partnerships with such financial institutions as the Community Financial Resources and Nexxo Financial. Nine months after it began, Remit4Change has signed up 3,000 participating remitters, mostly from Mexico and El Salvador. It’s a small number, but the potential is clear. “We’re really attracting a segment of the Latin American market,” Richard says. But he added, “Like anything new, it needs to really move and attract people toward the idea.” Remit4Change is set to launch later this year in the Philippines where, based on the group’s estimates, overseas Filipinos made roughly 75 million money transfer transactions from more than 175 countries in 2010. Roughly half were from the United States. The program has been supported by P-Noy’s government. One partner, the Development Bank of the Philippines, has committed to contribute 10 pesos for every remittance transaction, Cavosora said. One target beneficiary is Unlad Kabayan, a non-governmental organization which helps migrant workers use their savings to set up their own businesses, in hopes of providing an alternative to migration. In a statement, Secretary Imelda Nicolas of the Commission on Filipinos Over-
entrepreneur. Francis Calpotura is a veteran community organizer and founder of TIGRA, or Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, which is leading the program. “As far as we know, we are the pioneers of the model,” Richard says. “It really is new and innovative. Some used to conceive of our work as ‘fair trade’ for remittances, but it is not accurate though not dissimilar.” Fair Trade is the social movement that takes a market-based approach to helping
HE UNITED National Development Program (UNDP) and the Western Union Foundation launched last April an overseas remittance investment fund. The project, called the Overseas Filipinos Remittances for Development: Building a Future Back Home (OFs-RED), hopes to harness remittances for poverty reduction programs. The Western Union Foundation is investing $250,000 with UNDP to help harness pooled remittances from overseas workers to fund economic opportunity projects in the Philippines. It forms part of a project that will also extend to Morocco. It hopes to provide a vehicle for overseas workers to contribute directly to hometown development. The UNDP is working with the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) along with the Western Union Foundation, will study and test a model to facilitate pooled or collective remittances. Two pilot projects, which will be announced later, will be tested in the Philippines with selected local government units. Last February, UNDP and Western Union announced in New York a $500,000 initiative to assist Filipino and Moroccan migrants living and working abroad to contribute to sustainable local development in their home countries. This contribution represents a portion of a $1.1 million grant from the Western Union Foundation to support the efforts of three United Nations agencies to advance the Millennium Development Goals—a set of eight internationally–agreed goals designed to reduce poverty, hunger, disease and maternal and child deaths by 2015. Through this program, migrants abroad will be offered new ways to collectively support development priorities set by the government and local communities in their home countries. These may include improving access to critical services like health, education and finance, and supporting small business and job creation. “With just five years left to 2015, the target date to achieve the global antipoverty goals, we must find innovative ways to improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty in the developing world,” said Olav Kjorven, UNDP director for the Bureau of Development Policy. n
seas highlighted the power of “harnessing remittances for development” as the “next frontier for development banking and finance.” Melanie Valenciano of Unlad Kabayan said the partnership “will spur more negosyos as small as sari-sari stores to larger enterprises like virgin coconut oil production.” These businesses “provide jobs and economic upliftment for many communities,” she also said. And for the millions of Filipino expats, they also make sending money back home a way of helping out not just their families, but also their baryo or barangay, their probinsya, their homeland. (GMA News) n
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Many hotels and resorts nationwide have wedding packages suited for locals, balikbayans, expats and tourists. Destination wedding promises to be a booming industry given the Philippines’ numerous advantages – exotic sites, affordable accommodation and professional services.
DESTINATION WEDDING
BOOSTS PH TOURISM BY KC M. ABALOS
HE RECIPE for the perfect wedding— warm weather, a lovely sunset, and really good food—where to find these? According to a study by the Department of Tourism, within the period of 2007 and 2008, there was a 14% growth rate for foreign nationals choosing to get married here in the Philippines. And based on the increase of the total number of inbound visitors for January and February 2011, which reached 668,625 and showing a 17.88% growth compared to the arrivals for the same period in 2010, the industry of “destination weddings” becomes even more promising.
The popularity of destination weddings has risen globally, totally in keeping with the rise of travelling in general. There is a growing number of couples worldwide who wish to have a unique celebration of their union
The popularity of destination weddings has risen globally, totally in keeping with the rise of travelling in general. There is a growing number of couples worldwide who wish to have a unique celebration of their union in some exotic destination.
Choose among a variety of reception venues that can be transformed to any theme and ambience.
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in some exotic destination. These, along with the number of young Filipino professionals who work abroad, fall in love, and who come home just to get married, make destination weddings a blossoming aspect of the travel industry that the Philippine government really has to take seriously. The DOT is aware of the potential of this opportunity and has since been active in “assisting the private sector of the tourism industry in marketing tour packages and/or in collaborating with international travel companies for the promotion of the Philippines as a perfect wedding and romantic honeymoon destination in the Asia-Pacific.” The DOT has taken steps in marketing various Philippine destinations as venues or locales for pre-nuptial shoots, wedding proper, reception, and honeymoon sites. Each purpose interconnected with each other but at the same time demands a different approach in terms of promotion and advertising. This is where the private sector comes in, meaning the travel and wedding industry has been vigilant in this regard. The Philippine Tour Operators Association, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association and the Wedding Planners Association all work together in ensuring that the Philippines enjoys its generous share of the market. With travel exhibits crossing over to wedding expos and vice versa, these industry organizations are making certain that the Philippines remains a viable option for couples who are searching for where they will hold their ideal wedding. The DOT cites the Kasal Pilipinas as an example. Kasal Pilipinas is a registered business in San Francisco, USA, which held a wedding forum and exhibit in the area, making it possible for the Filipino community to keep in touch with the latest trends in the industry. Back home in the Philippines, wedding shows also abound. Handled by Themes and Motifs, the biggest is the Wedding Expo which is on its 18th year. This June 18 & 19, the Wedding Sum-
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mit will also commence just in time to usher in the bridal month. Engaged couples who are in the throes of panic due to overwhelming planning can be assured that their day will be perfect because they can easily choose and hire professional suppliers who can deliver the best services. A note about the rise in professionalism in the Philippine wedding industry needs to be mentioned at this point. From events coordination to flower arranging, cake artistry to creative photo and video coverage, the staggering quantity of choices is insurance enough for quality services. Brides can now join online forums, compare prices, and discuss with other brides whom they will hire to get their money’s worth. Planet Philippines lists down the top 10 reasons why you should marry in the Philippines. These are based on the unique and wonderful things that make the country stand out. 1. Fabulous food - With the Filipinos’ ability to absorb culinary tastes from far-off lands, engaged couples can choose to feed their guests with a wide array of flavors. From original Filipino dishes to food that is closer to your hearts and tummies, ask and it shall be sautéed, broiled, and delivered. 2. Bells a-ringing - With over
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Local and more exotic blooms are available all year round.
Thousands of church bells are ready to ring for anyone who wants to get married in the Philippines. thousands of beautiful churches (and not just Catholic ones, mind you), there is no other place in the world where the sacrament of
Seeking the help of an events coordinator has become popular. matrimony is taken as seriously as here. 3. Beaches galore - Is it a beach, blanket, bingo beginning you’re wishing for? We have 7, 100 beautiful islands with all kinds of beaches—sandy or stony, white or black, even pink ones to choose from! 4. Flowery speech - A country
known for its diverse variety of flora (and fauna), we warn that bees bothering your walk down the aisle is a strong possibility because of the amount of blossoms you can splurge on. 5. Animal love - Speaking of fauna, our four-footed or winged pals have always been welcome guests in a Filipino wedding. Doves kissing, butterflies flitting, and cows delivering a bride to her groom is not unheard of. 6. Honeymoon check! - Where else can you hold a wedding ceremony and then move on to your honeymoon that is only a banca or
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a tricycle ride away? 7. For a song - The Pinoy’s love for music is equal only for their love of food. Book a band or a DJ. Hire a string quartet or an entire choir. Ask them to sing you a kundiman (traditional Filipino love song) or an Iron Maiden cover and they will indulge. 8. Monique Lhuillier, et al – US-based top bridal gown designer Monique Lhuillier is Pinay and even if you can’t afford her, rest assured her other Filipino colleagues can sew, bead, and dress you to your liking. 9. Quirky indulgence - If your tastes tend to lean on the quirkier side, our islands are ready to pander to them. Hot air balloons, skydiving, zip lining, and other adventures are readily available. 10. Tradition to a T - Offer eggs for a sunny wedding day. Throw rice onto the newly married couple for luck. Make sure ceremonial candles don’t get blown out by the wind. This weird country has a hundred and one wedding traditions and beliefs that will ensure wedded bliss. Thousands of church bells are ready to ring for anyone who wants to get married in the Philippines. From the windy hills of Tagaytay to the white sandy beaches of Boracay, the country’s varied topography would fit anyone’s idea of an exotic destination. n
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ESL – ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Uprooting his family was the most selfless act of Yusuf’s life. He gave up a lot to gain more for his children’s future. Hearing his children come home from school joking and laughing in English, Yusuf realizes it’s time to get even more serious…and learn English. He spoke with others in his
Yusuf wants MORE for his family community and found out that Bow Valley College, along with offering more than 50 career programs, is a national leader in teaching English as a Second Language. Yusuf knows that with the ability to converse in English, he’ll have a better chance of securing a position in his field of engineering here in Canada. He picked up the phone and called the English as a Second Language Program Coordinator at Bow Valley College. He starts his studies next week and is well on his way to being able to provide more for his family and to get more out of life here in Canada.
LEARN MORE. EARN MORE. DO MORE.
FIND OUT MORE:
bowvalleycollege.ca / more 1-866-428-2669
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BY CARMELA G. LAPEÑA
’VE OFTEN heard that marriage is just a piece of paper, but I’ve learned it isn’t. It’s a lot of paper. It’s also a lot of money. Asking around for an estimate of how much it costs to have a wedding, I came across some shocking answers. “Three hundred fifty thousand should be enough for a small wedding,” someone volunteered on an online forum, and several agreed.
Does a wedding really cost that much? Well, it depends on what kind of wedding you want. Who do you want to attend - friends and family, the whole barangay, all your Facebook friends? Where do you want it to be -- a small chapel, a cathedral, or out of town? Answering these questions will help you figure out just how much you’ll need. And if you need professional help, there are countless suppliers in the wedding industry who will be more than happy to give you advice. Or, you could ask those who’ve been there for their own tips.
Planning your wedding
Hotels and restaurants usually have wedding packages, which can be quite expensive. But it saves you the trouble of having to deal with several suppliers, and all you have to do is show up. For the obsessive-compulsive types, there is also the now-trendy option of having a d-i-y (do-it-yourself) wedding. Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines’ Paulynn Chang-Afable shared some practical wedding planning tips at the recent Manila Peninsula’s bridal fair “Weddings at the Peninsula.” With all the available choices out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so Afable suggests listing down what you dislike and what you don’t want in your wedding. Narrowing your selection will help a lot, and eventually, you’ll have a very clear idea of what you want. You may find that no one has it, so the obvious solution is to do it yourself. “You can even use clip art,” says Afable, showing photos of various wedding elements made with commonly used computer graphics. I hadn’t heard the phrase clip art in a long time, but as she showed us charming tokens, invitations, and even flower girl dresses, all made pretty with the use of clip art, I was almost convinced.
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THE PRICE OF LOVE
Many hotels and restaurants offer wedding packages, which can be quite expensive.
HOW MUCH DOES A WEDDING COST? The cost of a wedding depends on what kind of wedding you want. Who do you want to attend -- friends and family, the whole barangay, all your Facebook friends? Where do you want it to be -- a small chapel, a cathedral, or out of town?
One practical advice is: Don’t spend too much on the ceremony, spend more on the honeymoon and the house.
Wedding theme
Afable also suggests having a theme. “Before, themes were limited to a color motif,” she says. Nowadays, weddings follow a wide range of themes, from countries to periods. “There was one Thaithemed wedding, so everything revolved around that, even the food,” she says.
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Having a theme not only makes it easier to come up with ideas for different parts of the wedding, like the clothing, decor and food; it also creates a certain mood. Usually, the theme is something that the couples can relate to. For instance, a couple that loves the water might choose to have a beach wedding. Themes don’t have to be
Having a theme not only makes it easier to come up with ideas for different parts of the wedding, like the clothing, decor and food; it also creates a certain mood. grand, either. “Even a piece of fabric can serve as your theme,” says Afable. The idea is that everything will somehow relate to the theme, from how the reception looks to the tiny details, like boutonneires. Accessories are often overlooked, but when given enough attention, they can make even simple weddings interesting. For instance, accessories maker Jae Buenafe of Jaewelry began to make customized wedding cords when her friends started getting married. “The wedding cords I create are based on the wedding’s motif colors. The standard length is nine feet. I make sure that it’s ‘free-flowing,’ that is, it’s like one, long necklace. The bride usually wears it during the reception. Or they ask me to cut shorter pieces of it so they can use it as any other accessory,” says Jae. Her cords cost from 600 to more than 1,000 pesos, depending on the charms and other additional details.
Plan and save enough
But Jae’s advice to couples is to really plan for the marriage. “Their planning should not
only stop when they have their wedding and honeymoon covered. Ideally, they plan and save enough for when they face the marriage part,” says Jae. Myca Lucindo, who got married in 2002, agrees. “Don’t spend too much on the ceremony. Spend more on the honeymoon and the house. If you can find a nice wedding gown for rent, better. Invest on a good photographer and videographer to capture the moments,” she says. Still, it’s difficult not to obsess about wedding planning. After all, it only happens once, at least most of the time. “To stay within budget, watch out for discounts. We got a 50 per cent discount from our catering service because of their anniversary. Lucky! If not, we would have gone beyond,” says Myca, who recalls spending about 300,000 pesos for her wedding. Teresa Hayward, who got married in 2000 in Calaruega in Tagaytay, describes her wedding as memorable. As for the cost, they spent a few hundred thousand pesos, but it wasn’t all blown in one night. “Because we had very good friends and immediate family coming in from all over, we wanted to make sure it was worth the journey over so we had celebrations spread out over several days - nothing extravagant, just a whole lot of bonding, conversation, eating, laughing ... we made a lot of memories,” she says.
Remembering the departed
Weddings aren’t just about making memories, but remembering as well. For those who can’t have everyone present, there are ways to offer small tributes to loved ones who have passed away. “It was her dying wish to have me get married and she’d have been very happy to see me walk down the aisle. But we made sure she was there anyway. I had a table set up right next to the altar where photos of my mom, his brother, his brother-in-law and his dad were set up (a place of honor, if you will) and we incorporated a flower offering into the ceremony. They may not have been there physically, but they were in our hearts,” says Teresa. Her advice from a marriage perspective is to make sure you marry someone who could be your best friend. “From a wedding perspective, don’t overspend because there are a lot more things (better things) you’ll be spending on after the wedding,” says Teresa. (GMA News) n
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KENNETH COBONPUE
BUILT TO LAST
Kenneth unburdens his biggest hurdle. “It’s acceptance ‘cause there’s no Asian brand (known) in furniture. In the luxury strata, it’s always Italian or Dutch. People say, ‘Oh, you’re a Filipino brand, why is it so expensive?’ There’s always that mentality.” BY DENISE ROCO
ASY TO the eye, yet eye-catching. Simple yet sophisticated. Stylish and functional. These phrases capture the brand and the man that is industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue. His designs have been seen in the movie Ocean’s 13 and the TV show CSI. Celebrities like Lucy Liu, Robert de Niro, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, to name a few, are his clients. When it comes to furniture, the Italian race ought to be forewarned that it is now a Filipino taking over the world one home at a time.
Kenneth: I think my biggest achievement is still out there waiting to happen.
Good design commands attention and that’s what it did to this writer when she first caught sight of the Yoda easy chair and the Bloom easy arm chair in an exhibit at the Yuchengco Museum in mid-2010. Upon finally
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meeting the man who made the furniture, the writer had the same reaction. Without any braggadocio, he extended his hand and introduced himself with an amiable tone and a mild-mannered voice, “Hi, I’m Kenneth Cobonpue,” he said — as if we didn’t know. How can we not know you Mister 2004 Ten Outstanding Young Men Awardee, especially after winning the Outstanding Quality and Design Innovation Award at the 2008 DECOREX in London as well as the 2004 Perlas Award for Outstanding Cebuano given by then President Gloria Arroyo? With a sunny disposition matched with smiling eyes, Kenneth bridges the past and the stepping-stones to his success. “There was coercion for me not to take up design. My father is Chinese. Because I was the eldest son in a Chinese family, my dad wanted me to take Business (in order for me to manage the family business). So I went to UP Diliman and studied Business but decided to shift to Fine Arts to Industrial Design (which was new
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Lolah Collection in 2005, Kenneth unburdens his biggest hurdle. “It’s acceptance ‘cause there’s no Asian brand (known) in furniture. In the luxury strata, it’s always Italian or Dutch. People say, ‘Oh, you’re a Filipino brand, why is it so expensive?’ There’s always that mentality. Why can’t people pay good money for work that’s equal to something that’s made in Italy? Our craftsmen are really second to none. There’s a chair I made called the Tilt (made of American walnut or mahogany individually cut and fastened with dowels). Even European woodworkers admire the chair because they know how difficult it is to make. Each piece is cut at separate angles. This used to be the kind of work they made in Italy years ago and they can’t do it anymore because they can’t afford it.”
Cobonpue’s clients include Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, among others.
Latest collection
Hagia collection
Oasis Collection then). I applied (but) failed the entrance exam because I couldn’t draw. That was pretty upsetting. I thought maybe this is not for me. So I spent the rest of the semester just learning how to draw until I decided to go to New York in 1987 and study where my mom graduated.”
Family business
The choice to shift was taken with resentment by Kenneth’s father and while taking an apprenticeship in leather and wood workshop at Centro Azur, Italy, and finishing his studies in Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in New York, his father passed away from a stroke. Their family was unprepared. Kenneth immediately returned to Cebu to shut down the many businesses of his father (automotive, real estate, travel agency). He simply didn’t know what to do with it. Perhaps like a deus ex machina, his father’s death also breathed new life in exploring his keen industrial design abilities. Taking over his mother’s (Betty Cobonpue) furniture de-
sign and manufacturing company, Interior Crafts of the Islands, this scion went beyond creativity in rattan, which his mother is noted for. “Back then (in 1996) it was a gamble. It’s not like anything it is now. I was making my designs. I was struggling. People were not so accepting of modern design at that time. There was more money to be made in reproduction furniture, but modern design was nil. Of course now, there’s a boom.”
Distinct style
Considered a bold move, Kenneth asserted his distinct style of fusing locally sourced organic material with innovative hand-made production techniques and voila! It was only a matter of time before the country and the world would ogle his prowess. True enough he has won 12 Mugna and four Katha Awards for design excellence at the annual Philippine International Furniture Exhibition and the Craftmanship Award in the 2001 International Contemporary Furniture Fair. This ubiquitously published, highly televised and
reputable international speaker talks about his field. “Presenting design is basically a conflux of different cultures. When you’re here you have to imagine how the other half of the world lives ‘cause you’re really designing for that culture. So I think what I am now is a product of all those different places I’ve been to.” That includes Germany where he studied Furniture Marketing and Production at the Export Akademie BadenWürttemberg in Reutlingen.
Greatest ment
gest achievement is still out there waiting to happen.” Though one thing Kenneth doesn’t wait for is inspiration. “You can’t just wait for it. You have to look for it. My reference to nature is becoming stronger and stronger in my work, microscopic (details on) leaves, trees, buds. You can’t beat God when it comes to design.” The only Filipino recipient of Asia’s highest design award, the Design for Asia Award for the
On his latest collection, Bloom, (handmade with micro fiber stitched over a resin top with steel base in soft hues like moss green, lime green, yellow, black or muted red) Kenneth elaborates, “I create something different every time and the factory has again to gear up for it. (Factory workers have to get accustomed to the material.) We work with wood, steel, bamboo, abaca, leather, everything. So this one now is the most difficult because it’s in fabric. To find somebody to work on it well is very difficult in all of Cebu. So far we’ve found only one person who can stitch it well.” If there’s a will, there’s a way as they say. The Bloom chair has won the Coup de Coeur Award at the 2009 Maison et Objet show in Paris. Kenneth’s success has a lot to do with his secret to happiness. “Doing what you love and getting other people to love what you’re doing. That’s what makes me happy. Seeing people use the furniture with that face, a face of amazement. It’s magic. Those are the little joys that make it all worthwhile.”
achieve-
When asked about his greatest achievement, this multilingual Sagittarian replies, “Getting a lot of people to pronounce my name right. In the beginning, I was thinking whether I should use my name and my partner then said, ‘I think the world will just have to learn to pronounce it. That’s the gauge of your success if they can pronounce it right.’ I think my big-
The Tilt! easy armchair
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BY JASON GUTIERREZ
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The tunnels’ strategic location has gained a cult following among college students short on cash.
N A dark and hot pedestrian tunnel underneath Manila’s university district, shoemaker Julius Wilfredo Gregorio sweats as he sews rubber soles to a pair of hand-crafted leather boots.
The 37-year-old is aiming to make five pairs for the day and avoid getting buried under a pile of orders from his ever-growing list of cash-strapped fans of fashion. Since taking over his father’s “Freddie’s Leather Haus” shop in 1991, Gregorio has gained a steady stream of both foreign and local clients who buy his designs that aim to rival those sold in trendy boutiques. “You don’t have to be a rich action movie star to own top-quality boots and be fashionable,” Gregorio said, his sweat dripping as the battered electric fan in the corner struggled to provide ventilation. “I can make you shoes that will make you feel like one, all you have to add is a little attitude,” he said, pointing to a picture strategically tacked on his display wall of a local action movie star wearing one of his designs. Gregorio is one of the movers of the Philippine capital’s underground fashion haven that operates semi-legally in two pedestrian tunnels on Recto Boulevard, where you can find many of the city’s universities. Over the decades, their tiny stalls and cubicles have come to symbolize defiance of an industry obsessed with ultra-expensive signature labels favored by Manila’s social elite. The tunnels’ strategic location has helped clothiers and expert craftsmen gain a cult following among mostly college students short on cash but high on fashion sense. Shops here sell anything from jeans, boots and leather garments, accessories such as beads and bracelets, to school and office uniforms and athletic gear at friendly prices. Designs patterned after popular American brands are perennial top sellers, although those seeking a personal touch can bring their own designs while most retailers offer their own cutting-edge concepts. Price tags range from 300 to 400 pesos ($6 to $9) for a pair of denim jeans, while cowhide boots can cost up to 4,000 pesos ($93). This season’s hot tickets are colorful basketball jerseys to be worn in summer leagues organized by various athletic organizations in a country addicted to
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Shops here sell anything from jeans, boots and leather garments, to school, office uniforms and athletic gear. the sport. thrive informally in exchange for “I often go here to get my token electricity and rent payclothes done,” said Pauline Ban- ments. igued, a 23-year-old communicaThe subterranean industry tions major at one of the nearby has survived globalization and universities, as she had her mea- the influx of foreign brands sold surements taken from a tailor for in air-conditioned department a blouse. stores and malls that are ubiqui“They are not exactly fashion tous across the megalopolis of 12 runway material, but they suit my million people. taste just the same.” A powerful storm in 2009 that The shops began operating il- triggered Manila’s worst floodlegally in the 1970s but city hall ing in 40 years threatened to shut long ago gave up the fight to evict them down for good with the them, instead allowing them to tunnels completely submerged, but demand for their services remained high and they soon returned. Veteran tailor Ruben Rosal, 59, began in the tunnels making just denim jeans, but diversified over the years to meet customer demand. “People go to us and ask us to make them blouses, skirts, even school and office uniforms,” said Rosal, 59, amid the distant rumble of automobile engines overhead and as fluorescent lights flickered in his shop. Rosal learned his craft from his older brother, Danny, who channelled his creative juices from photography to clothing design in the late 1970s. They named their shop Crazy Horse Jeans to capitalize on spaghetti westerns that were the rage in Hollywood then, and the catchy label stuck. Rosal’s family now owns four shops, and the earnings from the business have paid for the education of his five children, all of whom now have university degrees. But just as importantly, Rosal said he believed his retail career had offered something important back to the community. “I’ve been a farmer and a fisherman in the province, but this is what I do best. I have made clothes for all sorts of people, and I feel happy when they come back because they are satisfied,” he said. “I always say that good, quality clothes are for everyone. Not just those who have the money to buy Leather cowhide boots can cost up to 4,000 pesos ($93). them.” (Agence France-Presse) n
MANILA’S UNDERGROUND FASHION HAVEN Manila’s underground fashion haven operates semi-legally in two pedestrian tunnels on Recto Boulevard, where you can find many of the city’s universities. Over the decades, their tiny stalls and cubicles have come to symbolize defiance of an industry obsessed with ultra-expensive signature labels favored by Manila’s social elite.
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