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. This is a clear indication that our handicraft industry is enjoying the patronage of Filipinos nationwide.
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 of indigenous materials. 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.
Aside from these, the handicraft industry is important because of the following reasons:

 It promotes our cultural heritage through the use of indigenous materials.

 Handicraft products show an individual's creativity and lofty imagination.
 Producers of raw materials will be encouraged to produce more.
 Employment is generated especially for the undergraduates.
 Values of perseverance and industry are developed.

Handicraft Materials
In order to create new handicraft products which can be sold locally or exported abroad, different raw materials
which are available in the market, are needed. Handicraft makers fashion them into baskets, bags, accessories,
cabinets, lamp shades, wall décor, bamboo sofa sets, cabinets, clothes, and others.
Here are the materials commonly needed in making handicrafts:

Handicraft Tools
The tools commonly used in handicraft are of two types - the hand tools and the power tools. Hand tools are the
tools for processing the article which are used manually or by hands. Power tools are tools for processing materials
that are operated by machine. The tools commonly used in handicrafts are the following:

 mallet
 screwdriver
 pliers
 coping saw
 chisel
 hand drill
 wrench
 clamp
 knife
  smoothing plane
 auger
 hacksaw
 paintbrush
 folding rule, zigzag rule, steel rule
 pencil
 compass
 hammer
 blowtorch
 soldering iron

abaca fibers

Abaca - known worldwide as Manila hemp. Abaca fiber is obtained from the leaf sheaths of the abaca (Musa textilis
Nee) and is considered as the strongest among natural fibers. The length of the fiber varies from 3 to 9 ft or more,
depending on the height of the plant and the age of the leafsheath. The color of the fiber ranges from ivory white to
light and dark brown.

Rattan - is superficially similar to bamboo, but distinct in that the stems are solid, rather than hollow, and also in
their need for some sort of support. While bamboo can grow on its own, rattan cannot. Some genera
(example Metroxylon, Pigafetta, Raphia) are however more like typical palms, with stouter, erect trunks. Many
rattans are also spiny, the spines acting as hooks to aid climbing over other plants, and also to deter herbivores.
Rattans have been known to grow up to hundreds of meters long.

Bamboo - Stems of bamboo plants are stronger and flexible. Bamboo grows in all parts of the country - in plains,
forests, hills and mountains.
Among the varieties of bamboo are the spiny bamboo, kawayan China, kawayan kiling, bikal and buho.
Coconut Shells - Coconut trees are abundant in the Philippines. Coconut shells vary in thickness and color
depending on the age of the nut. They are used for fuel and for manufacturing articles such as buttons, pins, coin
banks, lamp shades, and flower vases.

maguey plant

Fibers - They come from plants where fibers or threadlike substances are extracted. Fibers from coconut
husks, buri, maguey, pineapple, abaca, and banana are used in making mattresses, carpet, and seat pads.

Buri - It is a palm from which three kinds of fibers, namely buri, raffia, and buntal, are obtained. The buri palm has
large fan-shaped leaves with stout petioles ranging from 2 to 3 m in length. The palm reaches a height of 20 to 40 m
and its trunk attains a diameter of 1 to 1.5 m. Of the buri fiber, buntal is the one with the most impact in the market.

Leather - is a material created through the tanning of hides, skins and kips of animals. Hides are skins from large
animals like horses and carabaos. Skins come from such animals like alligators and goats. Kips are obtained from
undersized animals like lizards. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting, and
versatile natural material for various uses.
BASIC CONCEPT OF HANDICRAFTS

Define the concept ‘handicraft’.

 Handicraft is all about making new things out of the old things. Also handicraft is making some materials
being formed by your ideas and concepts. In overall, handicraft is a way to improvise materials and to give the
full beauty of all things.

Identify the three basic elements of handicraft. Provide

a description of what you know about the basic elements
 Product - Is created by hand or by using only simple tools to serve a purpose or possess a value.
 Process - When it focuses on the techniques used, such as weaving, carving, knitting, etc. to create
items in hand.
 Skill - Talks about the dexterity and facility of the hand in applying art to create the object.
the technique and the product
Material Technique Product
1.Woodcraft 1.Carving 1.Toy craft
2.Shell craft 2. Appliqué 2.Ceramics

What are some examples of handicraft?

Here are the examples of handicraft.

 Pottery
 Basket weaving
 Weaving
 Tatting
 Macramé or macrame
 Crochet
 Tapestry
 Mosaic
 Collage
 Calligraphy

Advantages, Benefits – Handicrafts

or Hand Made Crafts and Products
In this industrialized world, people always look out for branded
products. Apart from this, some people also buy quality hand made
products called as Handicrafts. The handicraft business is growing
popular at many parts of the globe. For example: Handicrafts in
India, such as dolls, designed clothes, embroidery materials, wood
works, hand painting, gifts, furniture, toys and a lot more, are much
popular worldwide. Eventhough handicraft products are considered as
traditional work, there are many advantages and benefits in it.
Reusability of waste materials:
The materials which are considered as waste usually fill the trash bin.
In this type of business, the most used raw materials are from the
recycled wastes, bottles, etc. Some of the household items such as
plastic cups, cans, cardboard box, pins, buttons, magazines and old
clothes are also used to make handicraft products. Therefore, it helps
to recycle the waste.

Improves the creativity and skills:

Whatever talents or skills that you have, can be sold to the customers
if it meets the requirement and quality criteria. You have to create
handicraft products with your knowledge and skills. At first stage, you
may make some mistakes but practicing and improving the creativity
can be surely achieved. With proper skills and development, there is
a definite chance to grow your own business. It is the best platform
to enhance your interests and skills.

Availability of raw materials:

Since handicraft is all about making craft with available things (mostly
recycled household waste products), the raw materials are very cheap
and easy to purchase. Suppose, if it is a small scale handicraft
industry that produces hand made furniture, clothes and embroidery
designed products, the raw materials are easily available or the
industry would also use recycled products.

Make money with self employment:

It is one of the best ways to eradicate unemployment. It provides
innumerous opportunities to explore the skills and talents. Women
who are homemakers and unemployed people can spend their leisure
time in learning handicraft skills to earn good amount of income.
Income generation depend upon the quality of skills that you have,
resources and investment you allot for the handicraft business. It is
also necessary to find out niche market and target audience to earn
high amount of income.

Strengthens the economic growth:

Hand made products from a small scale industry or cottage industry
(popular in India) can be easily marketed with the help of trade fairs
and exhibitions that showcase the unique talents to the world. Selling
unique products or decorative handcrafted items can increase the
export rate of a country and hence it boost up the economic growth.
The economic growth can also be achieved by employment generation
and proper transformation of local raw materials into useful products.
 For example: Rajasthan handicrafts are popular worldwide. At
Rajasthan in India, many small scale cottage industries involve in
making quality handicraft design products that not only yield income
for their families but also strengthen the economic growth by
exporting to foreign countries.
Minimum investment:
The business completely depends on individual skills and ordinary raw
materials. Therefore, there is no need for big industry or wasting
machines.

Environment friendly:
The most attractive thing of handicraft items is Eco-friendly property.
It uses wood pieces, recycled plastics, bottles and other waste
materials which are converted to beautiful pieces of handicraft items.
They are not machine-made; hence they use less amount of energy
and give minimum amount of waste output. Most of the hand made
products are more biodegradable and environmental friendly than
factory-made products. It is also completely free from hazardous
materials and chemicals.

Good quality and uniqueness:

Only hand made products of good quality arrives to the market.
Hence, people can completely trust and buy them. Usually,
handicrafts are unique because creativity plays an important role in
this business. Due to the uniqueness factor, the designs and craft
works really amaze many buyers all around the world!

Typical art careers

 Fine artist. Kicking off with perhaps the most obvious of
art careers, there is no reason why you cannot pursue a
career as a professional artist if you have talent and
dedication. ...
 Illustrator. ...
 Photographer. ...
 Animator. ...
 Graphic designer. ...
 Arts administrator. ...
 Printmaker. ...
 Teacher/university lecturer.