Feature:The economic and industrial importance of Buri to Sampaloc residents
Posted on | May 17, 2011 |
by Norito A. Cabotaje
Buri, scientific name Corypha elata, is found throughout the Philippines, the most stately and largest palm that can reach over 120 feet in height and a diameter of 5 feet. The leaves are fan-shaped, large, rounded in outline, up to 3 meters in length, the flower are numerous, greenish-white, and 5 to 6 mm in diameter, fruits are globose, fleshly, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, and the seeds are hard, and about 1.5 cm in diameter.
This palm produces fermented drink (tuba), alcohol, vinegar, syrup, and sugar while the trunk yields large quantities of starch. The bud (ubod) is used for salad or vegetable and the kernels of the young fruits are edible and are made into sweetmeats. The mature seeds are used for beads (rosaries) and buttons. Mature leaf is used for covering tobacco bales, rarely as a thatch for houses, while the ribs are used for making brooms.
From the unopened leaf, a very fine fiber is obtained, corresponding to raffia fiber, which is utilized in making cloth, fancy articles, and string. Fibers secured from the ribs of the unopened leaves are extensively used in the manufacture of the so called Calasiao or Potolan hats. Strips of the unopened leaf are made into hats, mats, bags, basket and other articles.
Medicinally, it was claimed that young plants are brewed in decoction and administered in case of fever and inflammation of mucous membrane or febrile catarrh. Also the starch is recommended for bowel complaint and the juice of the roots for diarrhea and for coughs as well.
According to Emerlinda A. Balce, human resource management officer of the local government of Sampaloc, the buri palms in northern Quezon are famous for the quality of fibers. So, weavers are trained to further develop the buri industry that will help in the upliftment of the economy and promotion of eco-tourism in the municipality.
Sampaloc can be reached by land transportation, approximately 192 km from Metro Manila, 41 km from Lucena City and 30 km from Laguna. It is bounded in the north and east by the municipality of Mauban, on the south by the city of Tayabas and the municipality of Lucban and the west by the municipality of Cavinte, Laguna Province.
The municipality occupies a total land area of approximately 10,478 hectares, composed of 14 barangays, four in the urban, and 10 in the rural areas. It has a population of 13,534 in which the main source of income of people is farming and copra making. Women weave buri to augment family income.
Buri is one of the most important palms in terms of economic and industrial importance. The leaf is the most versatile material in handicraft industry. It can be easily dyed and woven into many shapes.
Because of the many uses and products that can be produced out of the buri, the Bulihan Festival of Sampaloc, Quezon was then conceptualized to promote the buli industry as an income generating or source of livelihood among local residents.
The 1st Bulihan Festival was launched last April of this year in which high quality buri products woven by Sampaloc women were showcased. Colorful bags, hats, mats, slippers and other novelty items were also displayed during the trade fair.
The process by which each product is made was also featured through a contest on buri processing participated in by men and women of the 14 barangays of Sampaloc.
The goal is to make the festival a means of promoting eco-tourism and be known as the center for buri weaving in the region if not in the whole country because high quality and environmentally friendly buri products are unique in Sampaloc.
Agencies of government like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Local and Regional Economic Development (LRED) Design Center of the Philippines, Department of Labor and Employment (DOlE) and the local government of Sampaloc are continuously helping local weavers in terms of financial assistance, trainings to come up with quality products and promotions to market their products.
“Our buri products can compete with other fiber-based products in the market today. Our weavers are all women trained and engaged in this livelihood activity,” Balce said.
“We often provide them with guidance and advice in their weaving techniques and income management to enhance their skills and capability, thereby empowering them to be the most valuable assets of our community,” she added.
In fact, bulihan is the one-town one-product (OTOP) of the municipality and to sustain the source of raw materials and production of buri products, the weavers united themselves and formed the Sampaloc Buri Weavers Association (SBWA) for their own welfare and protection, Balce concluded ( NAC/PIA-CAL).
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