MARCH 14 - MARCH 20, 2021 11 FEATURE pampering ‘fun’d-raiser O


desperate plea of our Lumago Designs artisans back in March 2019 when lockdowns began in Dumaguete and across the country. We all faced


nly the rich can afford to panic buy.” This


was the


uncertainty, and, like many places across the globe, food and other essential items were cleared from supermarket shelves


were stocked by swarms of as fast as they massive


With the advent of the pandemic, worldwide travel has come to a standstill and the Philippines is no exception. Beyond that, many people have seen their disposable income vanish, so buying sustainably produced jewelry is not high on their list of essentials. We felt it immediately,


to do so as have so many businesses working in the tourism sector across the country and around the


and continue


employed to support their families. We decided to reach out to our local supporters, local Dumaguete women warriors, who have been a driving force behind much of our success until now. We wanted to see if they were willing to give back to our artisans, but in a unique and fun-filled way. We held our first “Fun”draising event on March 6th, and invited them all to contribute if they could and join us for a day at the


Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Cynthia Mercado- Cabrera gets her anti-CoViD inoculation, together with hundreds of other frontliners at the SU Medical Center. Dr. Cabrera says the best vaccine is the one that’s on your arm.


Lumago Designs


MDW gears up for water efficiency measures


A special team of the newly-formed Metro Pacific Dumaguete Water Services Inc. (MDW) has been created to reduce water losses in its distribution system.


from the Dumaguete City Water District. MDW is a joint venture between Metro Pacific Water and DCWD, and started operations in February this year.


Dumaguete that is expected to result in higher water pressure, 24/7 supply, enhanced customer service, and water security through investment in more reliable water sources.


panicked purchasers. When living hand-to-mouth, one- day-at-a-time is the norm, but throw in a global pandemic to the mix, and your choices, or lack thereof, quickly diminish. The artisans and their families could not choose to panic buy, they could not switch


world.


But we persevered, knowing that the well-being of


families was at stake and we could be a lifeline in their most desperate time. Operating as


our artisans and their


to online learning, or even keep their children locked in cramped indoor spaces away from friends. When your whole family is already confined to one room and money and resources are extremely tight, your choices are few and hope is hard to come by. The COVID pandemic has hit the poorest communities the hardest, and we won’t likely ever know the full extent of indirect COVID casualties.


One such casualty was one of our beloved artisans, Janice Fabillar Pinili, a victim of the COVID lockdowns. She was diagnosed with cancer last March in the midst of severe travel restrictions and, as such, was unable to travel to Cebu for the specialized medical


needed. She passed away a few months later, deprived of the opportunity to fight her illness further because she


care she so badly


enterprise, we have always been acutely aware of the impact we can have in this community and it has always been our “why” behind Lumago Designs. After trying to expand our product line to include more relevant home decor in July and August, the sales still were not coming in and there was no prospect for improvement. For the past eight months, we haven’t sold enough to even pay the artisans their usual monthly wages, which normally


a social


send their kids to school and provide essential needs for their families.


enables them to


Over this period, we have paid their salaries from our own pockets to ensure they don’t have to make the hard choices of paying for food or paying to keep the water and lights on.


with our own resources running out, we reached out


Feeling desperate and


beach complete with fun and fulfilling activities. The event was held at Boochee Beach in the town of San Jose, thanks to the generous hosting of some of our biggest supporters, Babette Gil and family. Because we were outdoors, we were able to observe appropriate pandemic hygiene, with screening of guests on arrival, and physical distancing, and frequent hand washing.


donors contributed their money, time, and resources to ensure everyone enjoyed themselves with beverages donated by Cebruery courtesy of Kate Hassaram, food donated by Hayahay Treehouse & Bar, and multiple amazing door prizes donated by La Tortue Diving Center, Subida Souvenirs courtesy of Mike Alano, Ritual zero-waste store, the Relief Center, Kamaya Natural Products, Finbar, BodyTalk, Yoga Dumaguete, and more, so no one went home empty-handed. Additionally, featured at the event were massages


Jesa Teves, Wine Yoga (first in the Philippines) by Yoga Dumaguete’s Laura Pearce, professional portraits by Carmen del Prado, styling by Angelo Villanueva, jewelry-making by the Lumago artisans, Anabelle,


by Generous sponsors and


Metro Dumaguete Water COO David Berba (extreme right) conducts an inspection at a water pumping station, together with members of the Operations and Engineering Department.


The team will handle leakage repairs, replace defective meters, and prevent pilferages of the water resource.


was unable to safely travel to Cebu. With an extremely heavy heart, we said goodbye to Janice while consoling her two young girls and husband Mark that she left behind. Lumago Designs is a


social enterprise that works with indigent artisans in the Candau-ay community adjacent to the city’s condemned open dumpsite. Lumago’s crafters make handmade jewelry and home goods from recycled and upcycled materials, mostly selling to tourists both domestically and internationally.


to family and friends across the globe, and were able to raise over P50,000 to hold two food donation drives with the help of community leaders for over 200 families in the Dumaguete dumpsite community, hopefully making the Christmas season a little more bearable.


Still, tourism has not returned, nor has the disposable income we had come to rely on for sales of our jewelry and accessories. For these reasons,


looked for other means of support to enable us to keep our artisans meaningfully


we


The Dumaguete community answered our call and these women stepped up! The event was a resounding success, with everyone excited to join the next event. By the end of the day, the hopes and spirits of everyone who attended were high, and our faith and optimism for a brighter future were renewed. (Lumago Designs PR)


Flor, Haluwina and Virgie, health Screening with local physician Dr. Spencer Dempsey, Intro to BodyTalk with Penelope Reyes, video footage by Suna Yildirim, and stand-up paddle boarding and snorkeling were also available.


Further strategies for managing water loss will also be implemented, including segregating the Dumaguete area into localized zones, for easier monitoring and detection of water losses. MDW Chief Operating


Officer David Berba announced the initiative barely one month after the company took over the water distribution services


Based on MDW’s recent assessment, the City’s water losses in its distribution system is significantly higher than initial findings, posing a challenge to the company, but one the company is more than willing to endure. “Our focus is to give


utmost importance to this vital and limited resource as much as possible to ensure there will be water for future generations,” Berba said. The reduction of water


losses is part of a five-year program to upgrade the water distribution system in


Berba said the expected changes may not be immediately felt, as overcoming a challenge of this magnitude cannot happen overnight.


MDW is working closely with the local government of Dumaguete City and the Department of Public Works & Highways in preparation for its massive underground repairs. Apart from MDW’s


efforts, consumers are encouraged to help reduce water loss by reporting leaking pipes to MDW’s customer service hotlines at 522-1266 or 522-1263. (MDW PR)


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