PISTANG TOMASINO #GREATFINDS

1.) Scented Candle

The first booth that caught my attention was the North Triangle Alliance (NTA) community from Montalban, Rizal. They sell different varieties of candles, scented or unscented. They have it! They said this is their main livelihood project. They are basically more focused on enhancing these items.

PRODUCTION: 

The community gets their raw materials from Divisoria. They can make about one hundred to two hundred (100-200) scented candles of this size a day. 

This item that I bought from them is a scented candle and the one I got is in lavender scent. It cost me fifty pesos ( ₱ 50.00) only. 

The reason behind my fascination for this product is because I think scented candles are so expensive and overpriced. But the NTA livelihood project accommodated both price and quality satisfaction.

Therefore, I believe that their product will be a hit sometime soon. 

2.) Brass ring 

They believe that it “stops bad” anomalies.

The second item that I found to be interesting was these jewelries made out of brass metal. I bought a ring for myself which cost me about fifty to sixty pesos (₱ 50 - ₱ 60). The community that makes these products is the Cooperative of Women in Health and Development (COWHED). It is located in T’boli Tribe Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

PRODUCTION:

The community carves their desired design on a beeswax. Then they wrap the design with mud or molding clay and let the design dry down solid. After the design being molded, they then melt bronze mixed with copper into the molded design.

I was told that it take two to three ( 2 – 3 ) days for an estimated fifty ( 50 ) number of brass rings produced.

The design of their jewelries has a very sleek and classy look to it. Throughout the days I’ve used it, it doesn’t tarnish as well or leave a green stain on my finger (which often happens when I wear non-gold jewelry). Also, people started complimenting me with this ring. I would tell them how much I bought it for and instantly they get surprised because of the good quality with a low price.

.3.) Keychain / Bag “Charm”

Third item that I found to be not only unique but also aesthetic. This can also be bought in the Cooperative of Women in Health and Development (COWHED) booth, the same booth where I bought the brass ring. I came upon this while I was picking out my ring size. In my opinion, this keychain stood out among the rest of the other keychains. Besides the well beaded design, the center piece is called the “Rudraksha “. As per the community’s representative in the booth, it only blooms once a year. I surfed the internet to find out that “Rudraksha - is a seed traditionally used as prayer beads in Hinduism. The seed is produced by several species of large evergreen broad-leaved tree in the genus Elaeocarpus, with Elaeocarpus ganitrus being the principal species.”. It is believed to be a “Stopper of bad intentions”, a “bag charm” and it “Brings luck” to whom ever possesses it. This key chain / bag charm retails for thirty pesos (₱ 30.00) only.

They can make about 20 pieces a day. 

4.) Beaded Keychains

Last item that I bought was the keychains that were made out of beads. I found these keychain that are made out of beads because it is cute and it can go well with your bag, ID, or keys. What I find more interesting about this item is about its origin and how it was made. The seller told me that those products that are being sold are handmade by the inmates of Parañaque City Jail Female Dormitory. They decided to make the inmates be productive and participate in making products out of beads, which is I found very creative. It cost me 15 pesos each, at first, I did have any intention on buying one but I changed my mind after knowing the purpose of why they sell keychain beads. The purpose of this product selling of the Parañaque City Jail is to be able to give benefits for the female inmates if the products were to be sold, the proceedings will directly be given to them to be able to support them financially. I was moved by that kind of idea so I was motivated to buy from them, and I purchased two keychain beads from them, I gave the other one to my yaya, and the other one is mine.

I was disappointed because the duration of the event did not last longer than I was expecting since it only lasted for just three days. I hope they next time, if they organize a cultural festival event again here, they would extend it for a week so that many students are able to experience the different products and merchandise that the organization has to offer. The products were really great and I believe that it was really made with quality, that what it makes it more fascinating for me, I hope that those products that each and every organization offers will be exposed not only for us Thomasians, but also for the whole Filipino community, if there will be a chance, it would be great if the products were also to be exposed globally so that our culture may also be prevalent in other countries, with that, the culture of the Philippines will surely  grow.

Overall, the Pistang Tomasino was fun, and I was really amazed on how Filipinos are very creative and innovative, and I like it how Filipinos integrate their skills and the culture that is why they are able to produce such products that can be used for promoting our culture and improving our cultural standards here in the Philippines. The idea of having a cultural festival within the vicinity of the University of Santo Tomas, is a very good idea for Thomasian students to be able to adapt and be familiar with the local culture that exist within our country.