Members:

Janeilyn Anne Q. Diamonon

Maria Venetzia G. Apale
Tracy Valerie E. Dumaraos
Alyssa Reanna S. Bobadilla
Julianne Marie C. Bernardo
Seth Holden P. Diesmos

Introduction - Tracy Valerie Dumaraos

A. Women’s labor participation rate in the Philippines is at 39.3% which makes it

significantly lower than the participation rate of men in the labor force
(International Labor Organization, 2022). Having men dominating the labor force
pinpoints uncertain possibilities and some of which are: wasted potential, delay of
economic growth, and gender inequality. “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring
a folding chair” were the words of the late Shirley Chisholm, the first black
congresswoman in the US (The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States
Senate, 2020). The purpose of the quote was for women to demand and hold the place
that they deserve in society, because the uniqueness of women brings development to
areas such as emotional connection, talents, different perspectives, and solutions are all
worthy of being recognized and nurtured through employment (Obi, 2022).

B. Studies show that the advantages of having women in the workforce affects their
upbringing in their families because they are able to provide for their children, explore
their talents and skills, and promote economic growth. Their income circulates in
providing for basic life necessities such as food, education, and housing (IvyPanda,
2022). In addition to this, more women in the workforce indicates a greater job
satisfaction, a better organizational dedication, and a more meaningful output for
companies and industries they work under (Staff, 2022). Twelve Topaz is an example of
a brand promoting sustainability in products while trying to save a dying tradition of
weaving that is mostly done by Antiquenas in the Philippines. Furthermore, Twelve
Topaz has been trying to cater to the issue of women’s unemployment in Antique
through ecofeminism; however, regardless of their advocacy, the group sees a
necessary improvement in their marketing strategies in order for them to reach a
wider audience of unemployed women in Antique.

II. Body Problem - Alyssa Bobadilla

A. There is a lack of job opportunities for Antiqueño women, which results in high
unemployment rates.
B. The livelihood of women in Antique requires the assistance of Twelve Topaz, a social
enterprise, to move past the high unemployment rates (Twelve Topaz, 2022).
 Body Existing Solution - Maria Venetzia Apale & Janeilyn Anne Diamonon
A. To help combat unemployment, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
implemented TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced
Workers Program—a project that assists displaced workers by supplying them with
emergency employment (DOLE, 2022a). The emergency employment ranges from 10 to
30 days depending on the project the beneficiary will be working on. There are primarily
three types of project which the TUPAD project offers—namely, social community
projects like repairing, maintaining and/or improving public facilities and infrastructure
such as public schools or health centers; economic community projects like repairing,
maintaining, and/or rehabilitating facilities and infrastructures such as public markets or
post-harvest facilities; and agro-forestry community projects like tree planting. DOLE will
personally provide the beneficiaries with the items and supplies needed for them to
properly perform their work such as a “basic orientation on safety and health, Personal
Protective Equipment, enrolment in group micro-insurance, and a TUPAD ID” (DOLE,
2022a, para. 3). The qualified beneficiaries for TUPAD are categorized into four
groups—displaced workers whose displacement was caused by force majeure;
self-employed workers, including farmers and fishermen, whose livelihoods were lost
due to “natural disasters, economic crisis, armed conflicts, and/or seasonality of work”;
laid-off workers due to the permanent closure of the establishment they were working at;
and the underemployed (DOLE, 2019, p. 2). The TUPAD program has been successful
especially ever since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, having been
served a total of 337,198 workers. Not only this, but DOLE also has a strong advocacy
for having women beneficiaries as they have helped 144 displaced women workers in
Legazpi City as of January 2022, and take pride in helping a total of 100,328 women
workers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (Calipay, 2022; DOLE, 2022b). The
beneficiaries will earn a wage of 100% of the highest minimum wage in the region and
will receive this through a money remittance service provider (DOLE, 2019; DOLE,
2022a).

B. Although the TUPAD program as a whole presents great benefits, it has its limitations for
the duration of work and the qualified beneficiaries, thus restraining the extent to which
these vulnerable families can be helped (DOLE, 2020b; DOLE 2020c). As previously
stated, the duration of work has a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 30 days
(DOLE, 2022a). Additionally, “only one member of a household shall be qualified to avail
of the program each year” (DOLE, 2019, p. 2). Aside from this, due to the COVID-19
pandemic affecting the economy and people’s employment status, DOLE had to adjust
the TUPAD program in order for it to act as a post-COVID intervention (Pak et al., 2020;
DOLE, 2020a). As the TUPAD program takes up a new initiative to become a
post-COVID intervention, DOLE has implemented new guidelines for the program as a
whole. Currently, there are even more limitations as to who can apply to become a
beneficiary of the program; those who are beneficiaries of the following programs may
no longer be eligible to apply to the TUPAD program: Expanded and Enhanced Pantawid
Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s
 Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, the Department of Agriculture’s Cash
assistance for rice farmers, and the Department of Finance’s Small Business Wage
Subsidy Program; and those whose livelihoods were affected by the community
quarantine are the qualified beneficiaries (DOLE, 2020b). Although the TUPAD program
still provides the beneficiaries with 100% minimum wage of their respective region, the
program now limits the working days to a maximum of 10 days, which is a significant
reduction from the previous maximum of 30 days (DOLE, 2020a). With there being a
limitation of one member per household allowed to apply for the program and a new
limitation of 10 days of work duration, it will be even more difficult for vulnerable families
to survive and to have income. The new provisions stipulated in the new guidelines for
the TUPAD program has significantly reduced the opportunities for those displaced
workers to provide for their families.

(7 sentences)
C. Twelve Topaz addresses the issue of unemployment in Antique by providing job
opportunities for local women weavers (Twelve Topaz, 2022). These job opportunities
provided by Twelve Topaz are centered on the production of banig woven products. The
company is currently working with a community of weavers, especially Salvacion Surrilla,
which helps save the dying tradition of banig weaving in the Antique province (Villarama,
2022). According to Mabaquiao (2022), Antique’s unemployment rate in 2020 equates to
at least 14,000 individuals, and it is steadily rising as the pandemic drags on. Placing the
statistics into perspective—considering that 60% of Antique’s population is in the working
group—14,000 is an alarming number of unemployed individuals, and addressing this
issue is imperative (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2021; Philippine Statistics Authority,
2013). There are other job opportunities that are available in the Antique province, but
Twelve Topaz contributes to lessening the rate of unemployment by enriching the
available options for locally unemployed Antiqueñas while advocating to keep the
weaving tradition alive. Providing job opportunities for local unemployed women and
preserving a long-kept tradition are commendable. Amidst this, it must be kept in mind
that these opportunities should be age-inclusive and accessible to all.

10
D. Inefficiency is present in Twelve Topaz’s attempt to address the issue because it was not
specified whether the job opportunities provided are age inclusive or if it caters to a
significant number of locally unemployed Antiqueñas (Villarama, 2022). The company’s
mission statement did not mention whether Twelve Topaz hires a wide range of women
weavers. This range pertains to the specific details of age and location. Additionally, it
was mentioned in the interview with Izza Arnaez—the entrepreneur behind Twelve
Topaz—that the company is primarily employing women from a specific area of the
Antique province, Salvacion Surilla. There are other weaving communities in Antique
province that could benefit from the company’s initiative but are not able to do so
because of varying employment requirements. This makes Twelve Topaz’s current
advocacy for addressing unemployment non-inclusive and manifests inefficiency by
 failing to adequately address the needs of the community. The job opportunities being
provided to the market are not reaching a wide audience and, thus, are not able to
address the alarming rate of unemployment in the entire Antique province. Inefficiency is
present in how the scope of the initiative is limited to certain parts of the province only.
Moreover, a great number of locally unemployed women are within the age brackets of
15 years old and over (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2021; Philippine Statistics
Authority, 2013). Twelve Topaz did not specify whether the job opportunities available
are open to both younger and older women.

Body Proposed Solution - Seth Diesmos

A.) The advocacy of Twelve Topaz will be promoted heavily by the group, making sure to

highlight their goal to hire local women with little job opportunities to have a steady source of

income and occupation. The solution will be incredibly cost-effective, mainly relying on freely

available assets and applications. While rather basic, it is also the most efficient way to promote

the program without grave risk from mismanagement and cost. Should the solution succeed the

promotions may attract new employees from the local area if literate as well as increase the

company’s sales figures.This in turn will help further Twelve Topaz’s main goal of advocating for

women’s rights in the province of Antique (Twelve Topaz. (2022).

B.) This will be done through inforgraphics, posters, along with captions that will hook the

audience to the main advocacy and goal of Twelve Topaz. These posts will be sent on places

such as facebook, Instagram,Twitter, and other social media platforms. The posts will heavily

promote the main goal and advocacy of Twelve Topaz, while also detailing specific details such

as their benefits, criteria for hiring, as well as data such as Antique’s issues regarding

unemployment (Mabaquiao (2022). The promotions will be created by the group, mainly by a

number of specific members familiar with graphic design and influencing with added input from

the rest of the group.

 Twelve Topaz will then utilize the publicity, possible through donations and promotion of their

products to support and hire more local women weavers in Antique, who are of legal working

age.

Conclusion - Julianne Bernardo

A. Antique’s unemployment rate equates to imperative results in the year 2020, it results in
the making of Twelve Topaz, an ecofeminism-based organization that caters job
opportunities to ease the negative rates of unemployed Antiqueño women and further
improves with the group’s utilization of enhanced digital publicity.

B. Social exposure is the key into making multiple connections in the business industry, the
in-demand response helps the group in utilizing promotive employment and highlights
Twelve Topaz’s qualities to social media platforms that may opt to assist women into
sustainable livelihood and great job opportunities of weaving technicalities in Antique.

References:

Calipay, C. (2022, January 19). Displaced women workers in Legazpi City get jobs. Philippine

News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165875

Department of Labor and Employment, Implementation of Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating

Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program as a Post-COVID Intervention,

Admin. Ord. No. 114, § 3 (May 1, 2020a),

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X5dfMxu02h-rBg23wML1bIOuJ47mqFcv/view

Department of Labor and Employment, Supplemental Advisory on the Implementation of Tulong

Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program as a

Post-COVID Intervention, Mem. Ord. No. 174, § 1 (June 6, 2020b),

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZxbXQdhBIMYxdfwZT_6tt6S-Lev64a71/view

Department of Labor and Employment. (2022). About TUPAD. Philippine Government.

https://www.dole.gov.ph/tupad-contents/

Guiriba. (2010). Ecofeminism: women’s work on environmental conservation in the province of

Sorsogon [Bicol, Philippines]. Journal of ISSAAS, 16(2).

https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=PH2013000050

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Information Agency. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from

https://pia.gov.ph/news/2022/02/04/psa-bares-annual-provincial-labor-market-stats
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https://itsa.org/why-we-need-women-in-the-workforce/

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2013, July 31). Recorded Population of Antique at 546 Thousand

(Results from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing)

https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-housing/node/43806

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2021, March 16). Special Release on Employment Situation in

Western Visayas - January 2021.

http://rsso06.psa.gov.ph/article/special-release-employment-situation-western-visayas-ja

nuary-2021

Staff, L. E. (2022, September 23). Women in the Workplace: Why Women Make Great Leaders

& How to Retain Them. CCL.

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/7-reasons-want-women-workplace

Twelve Topaz. (2022). About – Twelve Topaz. https://twelvetopaz.com/pages/about

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. (2020, March 7). Shirley

Chisholm. A Seat at the Table.

https://www.bringyourownchair.org/about-shirley-chisholm/

Villarama, C. (2022, August 18). Empowering Antiqueña Weavers With Twelve Topaz.

Negosyante News. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from

https://negosyante.org/empowering-antiquena-weavers-with-twelve-topaz/.