The thriving softbroom industry in this town has become the bread and butter, if not an additional livelihood for residents.
Isidro Doculan, 56, softbroom maker and also a farmer, in an interview on Wednesday, said there are 600 to 700 individuals involved in the industry in their community alone in Barangay Tagudtud.
He said most family members in a single household are working in the softbroom industry.
Doculan said his 25-square-meter plantation is planted with buyboy or tiger grass, which they use as the raw material for the softbroom, and sometimes they also sell it as raw materials to other softbroom makers in other provinces, such as Nueva Ecija.
“I was able to send my children to college; one is now a teacher and the other one is a fresh graduate,” he said in Filipino, adding they also learn the softbroom making.
Jovel Itong, 30, said she is already making brooms even when she was in her younger years.
“It was taught to me from my younger age and even my ancestors were also doing it back then,” she said.
Itong said a 60-piece or a bundle of softbroom can be finished within a day or two, depending on the speed of the maker.
She said their products are usually sold in Baguio City, and she earned PHP10,000 recently.
Maria Calvadores told the Philippine News Agency that they plant tiger grass during rainy season and harvest it from March to April.
“We process its flower. It undergoes various processes such as drying and cleaning,” she said in Filipino.
Doculan said the harvested, dried, and cleaned tiger grass flowers are stored for softbroom making.
The softbroom making in the town is among the activities for the Agkaysa Ronda of the provincial government of La Union and the local government unit to promote the tourist areas, best practices, and products of the second district localities of the province. (PNA)
