Matigsalug group launches Nasabeka handicrafts brand
It was a very special day for the members of the Matigsalug Council of Elders Marilog District, Davao City, Inc. (MACOEMADDACI) as they proudly launched the brand for their culturally-inspired products during the opening ceremonies of the Mindanao Trade Expo (MTE) last 11 August 2017 in Abreeza Mall, Davao City.
The unveiling of the brand logo was led by MACOEMADDACI President Datu Juanito Mandahay, Sebastian R. Lacson, President and Chief Operating Officer of AboitizPower subsidiary Therma South Inc (TSI), Assistant Secretary Ameenah Abcede-Fajardo of the Department of Trade and Industry and MTE President Rosevic Del Rosario-Cembrano.
Nasabeka, which is the Matigsalug term for unity, was a brand born out of the Matigsalug Indigenous Crafts Project, a 12-month multi-stakeholder initiative spearheaded by TSI, the Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry-XI (DTI-XI) and the Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation, Incorporated. Products developed are in the areas of basketry, fashion accessories, and wearables.
The project started out with a simple goal of providing an alternative livelihood for the members of MACOEMADDACI to support TSI’s ongoing implementation of its Carbon Sink Management Program (CSMP).
The CSMP aims to plant 1 million trees in 10 years in order to help offset the carbon emission of the AboitizPower 300-megawatt Davao Baseload Power Plant in Toril, Davao City. Out of this target number, 750,000 trees of both indigenous and agro-forest species are to be grown in partnership with the Matigsalug tribe of Davao City.
“The Matigsalug Indigenous Crafts Project and the CSMP have been very helpful to the preservation of our tribe as we believe that the moment our culture and environment is lost, the tribe’s reason for existence is also lost,” said MACOEMADDACI President Datu Juanito Mandahay.
The products, which were developed with technical assistance from the Davao Designers Pool, was showcased at Abreeza Ayala Mall and will also be showcased in Manila during MTE’s Manila leg in Glorietta Makati in October.
