Yabang Filipino–time to choose local goods

The Global Pinoy Bazaar recently concluded at the Rockwell Tent featured products made with 100 percent Filipino love and pride.

The bazaar showcased fashion, footwear and accessories; travel, tropical, art and design; wellness, home, and food and beverage brands.

The event was a brainchild of Yabang Pinoy Movement that shouts “Filipino” in the most fun, creative, and contemporary projects.

The team gathered 170 merchants from all over the archipelago to showcase their homegrown products.

Yabang Pinoy believes that now is the time to choose Filipino products.

“In choosing our own products, we are not only helping our fellow Pinoys but we are also boosting the local economy,” says Landa Bautista, one of the 50,000 volunteers or advocates who linked arms to spread the word on Filipino pride.

Proceeds from the bazaar goes to Children’s Environmental Awareness and Action Foundation and to Yabang Pinoy to fund projects for 2013.

“The group wanted to send the message across that for our country to progress, it is vital that each and every Filipino must take pride in who he/she is, which is first and foremost Filipino. It is not about changing the system, but about changing every single Filipino’s mindset-to be shouting proud Pinoys, sa isip, sa salita, at sa gawa,” Bautista adds.

Although the bazaar only happens twice a year, Yabang Pinoy made sure that each merchant can still accept orders even after the bazaar.

According to gate receipts, nearly 10,000 people trooped to view the Filipino-made products and social enterprises featured in the Global Pinoy Bazaar.

One of them is Habi Footwear. It started out as a college thesis of Berns Uy, Paola Savillo and Janine Chiong. Habi is a social enterprise under Sosyal Revolution Inc. The shoes are made from  woven cloth and recycled truck tires, synthetic leather and abaca.

Habi footwear

In partnership with an urban poor community called Kawan ni Sto. Niño located in Quezon City, the women in this diocese weave the rags for Habi shoes and are paid P40 to P60 for each pair.

The women behind Habi Footwear aim to alleviate poverty by providing livelihood opportunities and training.

They also sell footwear to promote individual expression at the same time reduce solid waste by turning scrap cloth into comfortable footwear.

During the bazaar, they sold two pairs of shoes for P999.

Leather cover for books

Kalayaan “Aya” Cabredo just really loves books. She would take it with her anywhere even if she’s scuba diving.

She wanted to protect her beloved books from the harsh elements like sun and sand.

So in 2006, she thought of making leather casings to shield the books. Since she was into the crafting hobby, she designed a protective cover made of cow’s leather for her books.

Aya adds that not only is it waterproof but it looks chic. The leather jacket for the pocket book sells for P750. “I source the leather from Marikina and I support a retiree in Valenzuela to make some of the leather casings. And the rest, namamaga ang mga kamay namin sa pag-gawa sa mga ito so that no two casings are alike,” Aya says.

She then started to make casings for iPads (P1,350), customized bag tags (P650) and book marks (P100). Aya says that she makes these leather casings to pamper books and gadgets that are almost a part of one’s body.

“Agos” – ropa bag

Andrea de los Santos and Mica Ferrer both imagine a picture-perfect day when they spend time at the beach or go off somewhere doing something adventurous.

During one of their travels in 2008, a light bulb moment struck and they thought of creating a beachwear. But this won’t be an ordinary beachwear, it will tell its owner to be spontaneous while traveling.

They chose the name, “Agos” meaning to flow. The girls believe that life should just be about going with the flow and enjoying the journey.

Inspired by their active lifestyle, they made heavy duty bags out of worn out jeans and used a climbing rope as its handle. They called it the “ropa bag.”

The materials are tough and can withstand the elements, they add.

For apparel, they have rash guards, shirts, sandos and tapis (wrap dress). “We would like to bring back the tapis and make it fashionable again,” Andrea says.

That tapis sells for P780 while the heavy duty bag is at P995.