VIRAC, Catanduanes—Already producing about 1 million kilograms of quality abaca fiber worth some P50 million monthly to become one of the country’s top abaca producers, the small island province of Catanduanes is still taking a turn for the better.

“We are devoting more spaces of our lands to abaca for our expansion program, mechanizing abaca stripping and, instead of exporting most of our production, we are broadening local handicraft manufacturing using new designs and techniques,” provincial governor Joseph Cua said in a recent statement.

This way, Cua said, benefits such as employment and income generation from this industry could be maximized for the over 250,000 population of the province that lies by the Pacific Ocean on the northeastern section of Bicol.

There are still thousands of hectares within the island that could serve as room for expansion to, perhaps, double the province’s present abaca output, while mechanization of the stripping yields 120 kg per day per person—way above the 10 kg each worker produces a day through the conventional hand-stripping method, Cua said.

These prospects are within the framework of the Catanduanes Unlad Abakamasa (CUA) program launched late last year by the provincial government, he explained.

Also under this program is the introduction of handicrafts that would utilize every able hand of the local work force, including women and young adults, in the making of world-class decorative and utility items out of abaca fiber.

Cua said Catanduanes is a source of one of the best abaca fibers in the world in terms of quality; and instead of exporting the entire local fiber production, the province would retain a substantial volume for this handicraft venture.

Besides boosting its earnings from abaca, the province is also keen on establishing shipbuilding and repair facilities at a cove within Panganiban town, located in the northeastern side of the island facing the open Pacific Ocean, where oceangoing boats could get its services.

These facilities would be patterned after a Japanese shipbuilding complex, and Cua is optimistic it would draw investments into the province, if only to open more employment opportunities for local workers.

The local tourism industry is another potential contributor to the growth of the province that carries the reputation of being the most typhoon-battered area in Luzon, being situated in a path regularly taken by tropical depressions.

The island has several beach resorts and the one that is most visited by surfing enthusiasts, mostly foreigners, nowadays is in the municipality of Baras. It is considered among the best sea surfing sites in the country.

“We are developing and promoting these tourist destinations that would surely contribute largely to the growth of our economy without relying much on aids from the national government or international funding agencies but on our own initiatives, being an isolated province,” Cua stressed.

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VIRAC, Catanduanes—Already producing about 1 million kilograms of quality abaca fiber worth some P50 million monthly to become one of the country’s top abaca producers, the small island province of Catanduanes is still taking a turn for the better.

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