Sheaf of shoes in shacks

Their eyes were glued on the pieces of brown leather and bottles of rugby. Different sounds disturbed the air. Fingers danced on top of the long table. Many Cebuanos had already experienced what it felt like to be in their shoes. And it was supposed to mean literally!

The making of step-in's, wedges, strappy sandals, rubber slippers down to the boots and close shoes for men was the factor that built the pride of Carcar. These shoe products were sent out to different areas in Cebu . From the different shoe factories in Carcar, these footwears were distributed to several markets and sellers. In the case of KHOfeet collection, they supply shoe products for Footsteps Store located at Colon St. , Cebu .

Not only were these circulated around Cebu but these shoes had also reached places outside the region.

An employee of Lirus Shoe Company testified that there were some customers who bought wholesales to be sold in Mindanao .

Majority of the manufacturers had their shoe factories from small businesses in shanties until these were transformed into productive enterprises.

So famous is Carcar for its shoe factories that a group of townspeople decided to establish an organization uniting all local manufacturers. Hence, CUFMAI was created. The Carcar United Footwear Manufacturers Association Inc. is headed by its president Mercedita Apura. Apura is the owner of Detasie shoe factory.

Together with her is Algerico Sandoy, vice-president; Jocelyn Yap, secretary; Timoteo Canape, treasurer, and Ruth del Rosario as the auditor. CUFMAI was created on October 8, 2004. To mark their unity, shoemakers joined forces to create a huge shoe made of real brown leather, which was paraded during the 2004 and 2005 Sinulog.

Along with the founding of the CUFMAI organization was the construction of the large display center at Tangasan, Villadolid, Carcar where different shoe manufacturers in town can sell their products.

It was bought for the purpose of amassing all the shoe products from different companies under one roof. A total of 16 stalls comprise the whole lot. Among these are Lirus Company owned by Boy and Jean Lirus, Lidabeth by Edison and Lidabeth Omar, Kevin's Collection by Rodelio and Jocelyn Yap, JRE Footwear by Edna Enoria, Foot Fit by Ruth del Rosario, Detasie by Nicepuro and Mercedita Apura, KHOfeet Collection by Lorena Apura, and Sammy Shoe derived from the names Sammuel and Mirna.

This large display center became a stopover for travelers and tourists. Fe Maninggo and Cleofe Custodio from Tabuylan, Bogo of Northern Cebu were among the customers. Maninggo of Brgy. Kagawad Olivo, said that they were having their "Lakbay-Aral" heading south.

Together with Maninggo and Custodio was their city mayor Raul Gerona. Gerona said that they really planned to drop by in Carcar before going to Argao.

"Kahibaw gyud mi mahitungod aning mga sapatos sa Carcar kay taga Cebu gud mi. (We really know about these shoes in Carcar because we're from Cebu.)", said Gerona .

There were also Koreans and other travelers who stopped by to check out the various footwears Carcar has to offer.

A single shoe factory can make an average of 60 pairs of ladies' sandals per week depending on the styles and designs. According to Narra Bacon, an employee in KHOfeet factory, a pair of sandals can be finished in a matter of one hour. Inside the wooden hut factory, Lorena Apura, owner of KHOfeet, shared the basic procedures in making a step-in finger sandal.

The primary tools used were the sewing machines, heater, grinders, large scissors and rugby. From a roll of rubber, the women shaped this according to a certain size. After which, they passed the shaped rubbers to the men for the intermediate stage where the pasting, fixing, heating and grinding were done. For the final stage, these were passed back to the women again for polishing and additional final touches.

The price of wedges and step-in's in Carcar range from P150-P220. Boots and close shoes for men ranged from P 280-P350.

"Dili lang sa ampao ug chicharon sikat ang Carcar. Kana pod ang mga sapatos diri. (Carcar is not only known for its ampao and chicharon but also for its shoes)," said Keith Nadela, a 19 year-old resident of Carcar.

So the next time you happen to pass by at Carcar, just remember the giant brown leather shoe. Think big!