Taguig trains 600 women in water lily weaving

MANILA, Philippines - The Taguig City government has recently trained more than 600 women in making shoes, accessories, and household items out of water lilies.

Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga’s wife, Kaye, said women from the city’s 28 barangays were taught various production processes such as harvesting, drying, and preservation of water lilies to the actual weaving, trimming, blow torching, gluing, dyeing and varnishing.

She said since the water lily weaving livelihood training program was launched in October 2008, the program has produced and sold more than P300,000 worth of water lily products, ranging from personal products such as sandals, shoes, handbags and shoulder bags, to household products such as rags, place mats, and even fruit trays.

The livelihood program is a partnership project of the city government, the Soroptimist International Taguig Chapter and the Balikatan Movement.  – Rhodina Villanueva