Women in the Philippines building a better future – Global Issues

The Balaigay Women Producer Cooperative is made up of local women from the fishing village of Lumbayanague and women displaced from Marawi, a nearby city, after an attack by Islamic militants in 2017.

Come on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Daycelebrated annually on June 27, Daniel Dickinson spoke to Beliante Matanog Cayongat, a long-term resident of Lumbayanague and Nobaida Arig, who arrived after the terrorist attack, about the recipe for their success.

Nobaida Arig: “I work one shift a week in the bakery, where I start at half past four in the morning and bake for two hours. We have six main products: banana muffins, Spanish rolls and coconut bread, but also chocolate cake, banana bread and a standard white bread.

I am one of 20 people in the cooperative who fled Marawi when it was attacked in 2017.

Beliante Matanog Cayongat: The co-op runs the only bakery in the area and normally all our bread and pastries are sold out by early afternoon.

We make 2 kg of each product. During Ramadan our large loaves were very popular and we sold out even though we made 60 a day. The large loaves cost 40 pesos ($0.70) each and because this is a very close-knit community if people cannot pay we allow them to pay the bill later.

Nobaida Arig: We are a successful bakery because our breads, cakes and pastries are tasty and affordable. If you love your job, you bake delicious food.

I didn’t know how to bake before we opened this bakery. We were trained and given materials including an oven to put our training into practice. Through practical experience I am becoming better and better as a baker.

I can learn 200 pesos ($3.40) while on duty, which is good, but not enough to support my family of six. I also run a small shop selling snacks and goods.

Beliante Matanog Cayongat: On a quiet day, the bakery can earn 1,500 pesos ($25.50), but when we are very busy with orders, we can earn 2,500 pesos ($42.50) per day. After paying the salaries, the rest is returned to the cooperative.

Nobaida Arig: Baking is actually quite easy if you follow the recipe and I’m always looking for new ideas. I’m so excited about baking that I watched a YouTube video at home that taught me how to make pineapple, mushroom, and tuna pizza. We baked a special order of pizzas for Ramadan. I am very happy and proud that my pizza was so popular and contributed to the community.

Beliante Matanog Cayongat: During the 2017 five-month siege of Marawi, we welcomed into our community approximately 100 people who had fled their homes in the city. Many had family ties, including Nobaida, whose husband fishes from this village.

Nobaida Arig: When Marawi was attacked we heard gunshots and I thought it was a family feud, which we are used to. But after the school burned down for two days, we realized something more serious was happening and decided to flee. We had nothing with us at all.

There were many men dressed in black, carrying weapons and flying the flag of the Islamic State (ISIL Islamist terrorist group) in the city, but they let us pass and we left for the village. It was a big surprise and unthinkable that Marawi would be attacked in this way.

Beliante Matanog Cayongat: We want to build a bigger bakery and sell our products further away. But we also want to diversify and provide more employment opportunities for women who live here.

We would like to offer customization and office services, so we really need computers and a good internet connection. Women here want peace and prosperity and a better future for their children, and we are doing our utmost to make these hopes come true.