#DTIMalasakit Story from DTI-Region 7 (Negros Oriental)
By Anton S. Gabila, 6200 Pop Up Fair Coordinator | NC-PPO
Jomar’s business started when he made his first lamp because he could not sleep without a night light. He lives in Brgy. Malabo, which is 11.7 km or about 30 minutes from the town proper of Valencia, Negros Oriental. The night at barangay Malabo is so dark that he decided to make several night lamps. It was a solution to a need, that turned to a business. He made a product out twigs, used wood, added resin to it, and an amakan lampshade.
Jomar Caparino is a self-taught craftsman, and is the proprietor of La Betty’s Handicrafts, and has sold his products for the first time at Robinson’s Place Dumaguete City because of Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) 6200 Pop Up Fair last 24-30 April 2019. His first big step earned him a total sales of Php 13,775.00 for his lamps, most of which were sold during the first 3 days of the 7-day fair. Because each lamp takes time to make, he has yet to craft more for sale. He also has a shop at Brgy. Malabo just before the Pulangbato Falls, a popular tourist destination in Valencia.
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| Marietta Jambora of Generations Arts and Crafts awarded Top Seller for earning Php616,800 in sales for two years |
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| Generations Arts and Crafts Booth |
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| 6200 Pop UpFair Exhibit Area |
DTI’s 6200 Pop Up Fair was conducted in partnership and collaboration with Grape Ninja, Foundation University, Spacebar Coworking Space and Robinson’s Place Dumaguete. The 6200 Pop Up Fair is a platform for craftsmen and artists to showcase and sell their works to a wider market. This year is the 4th year that DTI NOPO has been conducting an arts and crafts fair, and has been the platform for 112 creatives (a mix of craftsmen, visual artists, digital artists, writers, photographers, and filmmakers housed in 16 exhibitors’ booths) to showcase and sell their works to the art and craft-loving public. All exhibitors sold a total of Php1,040,494.00 worth of crafts, artworks, literary works, and photographs.♦
Published in Pilipino Mirror on 29 May 2019.