Kalinga ‘kalan’ makers go on mass production

TABUK CITY, Kalinga, Mar. 5 (PIA) - - A group of poor families assisted by government has turned earth stoves made from termite mounds their livelihood to sustain their daily needs.

The Kalinga Clay Molders Association (KCMA) composed of meager income earners organized themselves to commercialize the manufacture of the environment-friendly stoves preferred by households because of its practical and economical use.

This kind of stove is molded into different designs. Molders gather termite mounds from termite colonies and grind them to further refine the clay.

Johnny Langnga, KCMA President said during the start of their livelihood project, it was difficult to build a stove since everything is processed manually and their products were prone to cracks.

He said after organizing themselves, their group requested assistance from the Office of the Congressman which was readily approved. The project was tied-up  with the Kalinga-Apayao State College Institute of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship (KASC-IBAE) that further trained KCMA members on innovative design with the use of mechanized grinding.

Langnga said the clay grinder provided by Representative Manuel Agyao sped up their production. During their training, they  produced and  were able to sell 100 units of clay stoves to as far as Manila and 80 are ready for disposal.

Raquel Dulliyao of KASC-IBAE said aside from being “healthier” compared with the traditional tripod stove, the cooking vessel is sootless from the use of the termite mound-made stove; cooking area is clean, secure and safe.

Dulliyao said this clay stove product made of termite mounds won in the Regional Inventors’ Contest cum Exhibit conducted by the Department  of Science and Technology -Cordillera on September 27-29, 2011  at  La Trinidad, Benguet. She said it is also  CAR’s  entry to the July National Inventors’ Contest  under the Creative Research category.

Now on mass production, she said the livelihood project generates employment  and used as example for KASC-IBAE students to learn about product planning, marketing, opportunities and development. **Peter A. Balocnit

Congressman fields anti-robbery teams

Tabuk City; Kalinga - In a bid to finally put a stop to the rampant robberies along the two major entry points to the province, the office of the congressman here has fielded two teems of elders to the Tabuk - Tuguegarao Road and the Tabuk - Roxas Road sections where these robberies have been taking place starting this September.

Ruben Tuazon, peace and order coordinator of the office of the congressman, informed the media that the two teams composed of elders from native tribes living along the two roads are tasked to convince the people in the areas to turn from hold-ups to legitimate livelihood activities and also to point to hold-uppers and stand as witnesses against them.

Tuazon said that Congressman Manuel Agyao has decided to hire and field the eight elders who are divided into two teams because for quite a time now, the hold-ups have been happening despite the presence of the police.

Tuazon said that Agyao is ready to help the people in the hold-up areas to engage in banana and beans production as alternative livelihood activities and will look for direct buyers for their future produce.

The frequent robberies occurring in these roads have the effect of driving away businessmen who want to do business in Tabuk and likewise give people who want no come and visit second thoughts.

Tuazon informed that on September 24 the team working the Tabuk - Tuguegarao Road has already scored an initial success after it was able to convince the culprits in a robbery staged there that day to return their loot to the victim.

Tuazon related that one Napoleon Matute who was then riding a motorcycle with his kid was held-up near the cemetery in Nambaran and was divested of his cellphone and wallet containing Pl,000.00 cash.

Learning of the robbery, a roving member of the team who happened to be near the site of the hold-up called on the other members of the four-man team and tracked down the robbers to their hiding place.

Tuazon said that at first, the culprits denied that they pulled off the stick-up but would later admit and surrender the items taken from Matute to the elders.

Later, the elders and Matute went to the police station in Bulanao to report the incident. However, Matute was afraid to press charges and the elders just executed affidavits naming the hold-uppers and pointing to their whereabouts. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr.

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