'Banig' maker weaves own straw mat as she faces eviction
Published Jun 29, 2020 12:00 am
By Jansen Romero
Barangay frontliner Lemly Saguilon, 37, weaves a long and colorful mat made from plastic soft drink straws she collected on Escoda street behind Paco Market in Manila.
(JANSEN ROMERO/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The colorful banig (mat) she is weaving will be her new bed on the murky streets of Paco Market in the event she is evicted by her landlady if she fails to pay the rent of her boarding house at the end of this month.
From being a crew in a Tapsilogan in Paco Market, Saguilon applied as a dental clinic assistant near L. Guinto, Manila. But her application was overtaken by the lockdown.
Lemly left Aklan in October last year to try her luck in Manila, leaving her 5 children behind. Due to the pandemic, Lemly had no work and no pay prompting her to volunteer as a frontliner in their barangay.
“Gumawa ako ng banig para tulugan ko sir kasi lahat kami sa boarding house eh walang pambayad. Hinahanapan ako ng landlady namin kaso wala naman akong maibigay, (I am weaving mat where I will sleep in the event I will be forced out of the boarding house I am staying in right now. Our landlady is already collecting the rent by all of us in the boarding house have no money to pay the rent),” Lemly told Manila Bulletin as she strengthened the ends of the straw mat to make it sturdy.
Aside from the ‘banig,’ Lemly also weaves bags, pouches, and wallets from colorful soft drink straws. Initially, she planned to sell it for P300 but eventually decided to give it to street dweller-friends in the vicinity of Paco Market whom she said needed it more.
“Hindi ko akalain sir, na etong pagtatahi ko ng banig eh magamit kona para sa sarili ko (It did not occur to me that I would weave my own mat),” she said during the interview.
If she is evicted, Lemly will have no choice but sleep on the streets.
“Ayoko sabihin ‘to kay doctora kasi, pag nalaman niyang sa labas ako nakatira baka hindi niya ako patuluyin sa trabaho dahil exposed na ako sa virus,” she added.
Lemly hopes her fate would change and be as colorful as her woven straw mat as the lockdown continues.
Lemly can be found weaving straw mats on Escoda street behind Paco market and can be reached through this number (09101754496).
(JANSEN ROMERO/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The colorful banig (mat) she is weaving will be her new bed on the murky streets of Paco Market in the event she is evicted by her landlady if she fails to pay the rent of her boarding house at the end of this month.
From being a crew in a Tapsilogan in Paco Market, Saguilon applied as a dental clinic assistant near L. Guinto, Manila. But her application was overtaken by the lockdown.
Lemly left Aklan in October last year to try her luck in Manila, leaving her 5 children behind. Due to the pandemic, Lemly had no work and no pay prompting her to volunteer as a frontliner in their barangay.
“Gumawa ako ng banig para tulugan ko sir kasi lahat kami sa boarding house eh walang pambayad. Hinahanapan ako ng landlady namin kaso wala naman akong maibigay, (I am weaving mat where I will sleep in the event I will be forced out of the boarding house I am staying in right now. Our landlady is already collecting the rent by all of us in the boarding house have no money to pay the rent),” Lemly told Manila Bulletin as she strengthened the ends of the straw mat to make it sturdy.
Aside from the ‘banig,’ Lemly also weaves bags, pouches, and wallets from colorful soft drink straws. Initially, she planned to sell it for P300 but eventually decided to give it to street dweller-friends in the vicinity of Paco Market whom she said needed it more.
“Hindi ko akalain sir, na etong pagtatahi ko ng banig eh magamit kona para sa sarili ko (It did not occur to me that I would weave my own mat),” she said during the interview.
If she is evicted, Lemly will have no choice but sleep on the streets.
“Ayoko sabihin ‘to kay doctora kasi, pag nalaman niyang sa labas ako nakatira baka hindi niya ako patuluyin sa trabaho dahil exposed na ako sa virus,” she added.
Lemly hopes her fate would change and be as colorful as her woven straw mat as the lockdown continues.
Lemly can be found weaving straw mats on Escoda street behind Paco market and can be reached through this number (09101754496).