CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- About 110 Muslim ladies “bonded” together at the local office of the Muslim Affairs here to form the first-ever Muslim Women’s Traders Association (MWTA).

During their organizational meeting, the women Muslims elected their officers and drafted what they termed as necessary documents for their recognition and accreditation with the City Government and other government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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Namraida Ampuan, MWTA president, told Sun.Star that their primary objective in organizing themselves was for livelihood purposes.

“Most of the time when it is off-market day, we simply stay at home. We want to help our husbands as 'lights of our homes'," Ampuan said.

She added they are now laying out plans for the conduct of livelihood training programs and seminars to address the desire of members to learn home-based business ventures like handicraft production, apparel and other trade products.

Ampuan also said they would establish a Muslim women’s cooperative to help their members in financing.

The MWTA is the latest Muslim group in the city to join the male dominated Muslim Federation, United Lanao Muslim Traders, and the Muslim Association of Pampanga.