ILOILO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is planning to tap the expertise of an association of waste pickers in this city to mentor people in Boracay interested to join the training on waste recycling.
The trainees are displaced workers and even local micro, small and medium entrepreneurs affected by the closure of island resort.
“That is one of the issues in Boracay—waste segregation, recycling and waste management,” said DTI 6 (Western Visayas) Regional Director Rebecca Rascon on Thursday.
It is very timely, especially that there is an ongoing rehabilitation in the island, she added in the interview.
Rascon said that she had an initial talk with the United Calajunan Livelihood Association (UCLA) based in Brgy. Calajunan in Mandurriao district of this city. UCLA was established sometime in 2005 with more or less 300 members.
From out of the recyclable wastes that they gathered from the Calajunan dumpsite, the group was able to come up with products such as bag from papers, accessories and jewelry, vases and paper briquettes, among others.
DTI has identified waste recycling as among the trainings it would offer to displaced workers and even residents.
“It will decongest the island of plastic because they will convert them to finished products,” she said.
UCLA may also tap Boracay trainees should there are orders that they could not cope due to limited manpower or materials.
DTI hoped to launch the training last week of May or early June this year.
Prior, DTI has already conducted trainings on financial literacy and skills training on siomai- and puto pao- making.
Still in the pipeline are “Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan” in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), “Negosyo, Serbisyo sa Barangay” and skills training on soap-making, crafts-making and fashion accessories, among others.
Rascon said that budget for these trainings came from their local “Negosyo Center” funds. (PNA)
