Philippine

Handicraft Industry:
Their Benefits and
Importance
Almost every family in the Philippines
owns one or more handicraft products
like baskets, brooms, feather
dusters, bamboo sofa set, cabinets
and other furniture.
Accessories like earrings, bracelets,
necklaces and other clothing apparel
which young people today are fond of
wearing are also made from native
products like beads, shells, seeds and
others.
Philippines is blessed with rich natural resources
that are scattered throughout its 7,107 islands. These
God-given natural wonders are the sources of
people's food, shelter and other basic needs.

After some time, people acquired many skills that

enabled them to tinker with nature. They used the
raw materials from trees, plants and other natural
resources that are very abundant and turned them
into simple, yet useful tools or instruments.
Today, many Filipinos are engaged in
handicraft businesses.

Handicraft-making has become a means of

livelihood for them, especially now that many
handicraft owners are exporting their
products to Japan, United States, Canada,
Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and other
countries around the world.
The Philippines is the second largest world
producer of handicrafts, mainly baskets out of
indigenous materials.

This industry continues to provide a respectable

contribution to foreign exchange earning of the
country (US$71.9M in 2000) while many
handicraft items are also sold on the local
market.
All together, the sector is
providing livelihood to
more than 1 million
Filipinos.
Although the industry has experienced
some setbacks over the last ten years, it has
kept the respect of the high-end markets in
the United States, European Union, and
Japan and has only lost a great part of
the low-end market to China, our main
competitor.
Despite this, Filipino craftsmen have
indigenously overcome scarcity and
increasing prices of raw materials by
constantly producing new designs for their
products.

Over the years, Philippine handicrafts have

evolved through innovative changes in designs
reinforced by exciting choices and combination
There is, however, still ample room
for improvement, particularly in
remote upland communities with
little access to market information,
brokering services, capital and
technologies for value addition.
HANDICRAFT INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
OF THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
1. It promotes our cultural heritage through the use of
indigenous materials.
2. Handicraft products show an individual's creativity and
lofty imagination.
3. Producers of raw materials will be encouraged to
produce more.
4. Employment is generated especially for the
undergraduates.
5. Values of perseverance and industry are developed.
GUESS THE
JUMBLED
WORDS
 The outermost or leaf
sheath of abaca stalk. It
is a flat thick durable
ABKKAB sheath as twine or
braided and the strong
? brown fiber used to
make furniture.
 The outermost or leaf
sheath of abaca stalk. It
is a flat thick durable
BAKBAK sheath as twine or


braided and the strong
brown fiber used to
make furniture.
 It belongs to sea grasses
and a native reed plant
KOGTI used as a raw material
? for mat weaving.
 It belongs to sea grasses
and a native reed plant
TIKOG used as a raw material

 for mat weaving.

 A large, erect and
aquatic or marshy herb
IKIWT plant and is found in
Central Luzon to
? Mindanao.
 A large, erect and
aquatic or marshy herb
TIKIW plant and is found in


Central Luzon to
Mindanao.
 A fiber extracted from
an open buri leaf in 3
stages. It is loom woven
into fabrics or used as
FIAFAR wall coverings,
? upholstery
folding
materials,
doors and
window hangings.
 A fiber extracted from
an open buri leaf in 3
stages. It is loom woven
into fabrics or used as
RAFFIA wall coverings,
 upholstery
folding
materials,
doors and
window hangings.
 The tropical plant is
processed and
NDNAPA transformed into splints
that are being used as
? raw materials.
 The tropical plant is
processed and
PANDAN transformed into splints


that are being used as
raw materials.
 It is plant belonging to
the fern family that
TION grows abundantly in
hinterlands of
? Mindanao.
 It is plant belonging to
the fern family that
NITO grows abundantly in


hinterlands of
Mindanao.
 It is the fibrous
materials surrounding
ROIC the fruit of coconut tree.
?
 It is the fibrous
materials surrounding
COIR the fruit of coconut tree.


 It is a cylindrically
shaped fibers. The
supple white ivory
TNALUB strands are quite
durable, pliable and
? have good dyeing
qualities.
 It is a cylindrically
shaped fibers. The
supple white ivory
BUNTAL strands are quite


durable, pliable and
have good dyeing
qualities.
 It is a Tagalog term for
Bulacan which means to
INPU beautify or decorate
with the use of coconut
? leaf.
 It is a Tagalog term for
Bulacan which means to
PUNI beautify or decorate


with the use of coconut
leaf.
 This refers to paper
mache made using
AAKT carved wooden
sculpture used as a
? mold.
 This refers to paper
mache made using
TAKA carved wooden


sculpture used as a
mold.
What do you think is the impact of
handicraft business to a locality
considering the availability of the
raw materials being produced from
that particular place?