The government ensures full support and assistance in the development and growth of the micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) who make up the 90% of the country’s business sector.

This challenges local designers to strive for innovation and creativity as their valuable contributions to economic development and nation-building.

From decades of appreciating natural rattan or wicker on mostly furniture, the public is now embracing the synthetic or plastic rattan. This material is hailed for its quality and durability as it requires less maintenance and has a longer lifespan compared to natural rattan.

Lynn Sheryl Reasol, owner of Binuhat Arts and Craft Trading of  San Jose in the Province of Dinagat Islands, ventured differently as the first and only artisan MSME in the country who introduced and used plastic rattan on fashionable bags and homewares. Significantly, she presented this raw material as environment friendly as it is made of seaweeds and plastic wastes.

As a local weaver, Reasol shared that before her finished products were made from natural Ticug, pandan and Buli, saying,  “The weavers of the country use the same raw materials and we compete primarily on quality, design and price.”

“With the eco-friendly rattan,  I started to  get the attention of the buyers since I have something different and my fashionable handbags and homewares are not available to the rest of the local weavers,” she added.

Reasol shared that she currently works with a private supplier in Cebu for processing and manufacturing of eco-friendly rattan as this is the nearest available plastic extrusion machine to her location.

She is presently in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Caraga through the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP). This collaboration aims to bolster her business by providing a comprehensive set of high-quality plastic extrusion machinery valued at P1.9 million. This investment will enable her to increase production of her products and meet the rising demands of her customers, both locally and internationally.

As an eco-artisan, she believes that having the machine available in her production area, which enables her to create her own raw materials, will make a significant contribution to the solid waste program and overall waste management efforts in her province and the entire country.  This is because she will be recycling plastic wastes from her locality, and the province of Dinagat Islands is abundant in seaweed resources, which can also be utilized effectively.

Indeed, Lynn Sheryl Reasol of Binuhat Arts and Craft Trading is just one of the many MSMEs who continue to make ambitious and transformative journeys, hand in hand with the government. (RLE/PIA-Caraga)