Sunday, January 08, 2006
Convicts see hope in cornhusk handicraft
KORONADAL CITY -- The cornhusk handicraft industry has drawn the attention not just of unemployed housewives in South Cotabato province but also the mean and the macho, according to jail officials here.
Convicts free on parole or on probation are the latest "converts" to the cornhusk handicraft industry.
Ma. Bennie Lademora, provincial parole and probation officer, said at least 120 mostly male parolees were recently trained on making handicrafts fashioned out from cornhusks.
"The province's more than 120 parolees and probationers can now look forward to possible employment opportunities or even a new business venture after undergoing a recent training on cornhusk handicraft making," Lademora said.
Lilia Ramos, a worker from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, conducted the training to the convicts upon request from the probation office.
"This cornhusk handicraft making is very in demand these days, it is even being exported abroad," Ramos said.
"The training is well-meaning. We have not realized that there are a lot of items that can be done out of cornhusks," Celso, a parolee, said in the vernacular.
"Little have we known that the cornhusks, which we are throwing after harvest is a good source of income. We hope to undergo an in-depth training on this field next time," Leo, another probationer, said.
(January 2, 2006 issue)
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