First Posted on Inside Mindanao: September 10, 2007

1^st Inside Mindanao Writing Contest Winning Entry
Making bricks for a living
By Terry D.C. Betonio

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Earning even just a centavo may not be that easy for some, especially those who cannot read and write. But for Melecia Galorio, getting one peso is just as simple as molding a clay to make one small brick, which she does six days a week even if she cannot read and write her name.

Manang Melecia, or Sanâ to her friends (a common name to those who hail from Bohol in the Visayas), is one of the five women workers at the Bulua Ceramics Center in Barangay Bulua. She makes fire and deco bricks and gets paid at one Philippine Peso (Php1) per piece.

Sanậ, a widow with five children from Bohol, has been with the Ceramics Center for about 20 years now. She got to learn the technology by just watching the procedure paired with sheer dedication and patience.

After about two decades, Sanâ has mastered the craft even without an elementary diploma to boast.

When her husband died, Sanâ started working at the Center and with her Php1 earning for every fire and deco bricks molded; she was able to send three of her children to school. But when her youngest daughter got married and later separated, she left her four-month old son Joepet to Sanâ and went to Manila.

Now, Sanâ’s grandson is 15 years old whose education and day-to-day subsistence depends on her.

At 62, Sanâ confides she wanted to stop working but her responsibility to Joepet prevents her from giving up.

“I have to pay for Joepet’s projects in school. I have to spend for our food. It would be very hard if I stop working,” Sanâ said in Visayan.

In a day, Sanâ can mold an average of 200 pieces of bricks, which aptly translates to Php200 earning. But the amount she earns in a month depends on the number of orders the Center gets from clients. Usually, customers place order for either fire or deco bricks at an average of 1,000 to 5,000 pieces at Php3 for small bricks (1x4x8 sizes); Php4 for the slightly bigger ones (2x4x8 sizes); and Php15 for the much bigger bricks, which come in rectangular and hexagon shapes. The smaller bricks are used as adornment in houses while the much bigger bricks can be used as flooring materials.

But even with her meager income, Sanâ said she is quite fortunate that she has a job, though not the 15-30 type (regular employee who receives compensation every 15^th and 30^th of the month), considering her educational level.

The Ceramics Center is run by the Bulua Potters’ Cooperative which Sanâ co-owns, along with 185 other members, most of whom are women. The members are required to give a minimum capital share of Php300.

The cooperative is registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).

Every year, the members hold a general assembly -- usually in May -- where the income and expenditures of the cooperative are discussed and dividends are distributed to the members, depending on their capital share.

When Sanâ worked at the Center, she was not yet a member but later became a part of the cooperative when another member sold her capital share to her.

Now, Sanâ has a capital share of Php500 and the dividends she and the other members received every year range from 10 to 15 percent.

“Sometimes, I get only Php60 as dividend. But even if the money is so small, it greatly helped me in our daily expenses,” she said.

The Bulua Ceramics Center was established in 1971 by American couple Norman and Diana Weiss who came to the Philippines to give livelihood to the people. The Center was constructed by the residents through bayanihan or communal effort.

The couple first introduced glazing as a technology for porcelain making (deco-arts) using plaster of Paris as raw material.

About 25 men and women in the area signed up for the Center and were given training by the couple. Later, they made world-class flower vases, figurines and even wedding giveaways. Few years after, the couple left the management of the Center to some trusted members since the business was earning well.

However, the deco-arts making was stopped after the prices of raw materials went up. Later, the market for bricks was at its peak so the members decided to shift. Until now, the Center is still producing bricks, although the number of workers varies depending on the quantity of orders.

As for the raw materials for bricks, Sanâ said they are using clay which so far can only be found in certain areas in Barangay Bulua, particularly at Terry Hills Subdivision. They buy the clay at PhP20.00 per sack.

For 2,000 pieces of bricks, at least 30 sacks of clay are used. The clay is then mixed with water, grated in an electric grinder, molded, dried and cooked for 12 hours. After cooking, the bricks are then ready for use. Sanâ said they cook the bricks by bulk, usually once a month to save on firewood. But this also depends on the number of bricks ordered.

At an average, the women workers mold about 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of bricks a day. If orders are high, additional workers are hired still at Php1 payment per brick molded.

But even with just a Php1 earning per bricks molded, Sanâ said this meager amount has able to sustain her and Joepet’s daily expenses.

“Sometimes, I walk from the Center to our house, which is very far, because I don’t have money to pay for the fare. But it’s okay with me. And I don’t mind the body pains I felt after every hard day’s work. What is important is that I am able to support my grandson’s education so he could find a better job in the future,” Sanâ shared.

Indeed, every peso hardly earned could bring much greater joy to anyone. Just like Bernadette Yañez, another member of the cooperative who once worked as bricks molder at the Center.

Bernadette, who has been a member of the cooperative for 25 years, said she was able to finish her secretarial course by molding bricks.

“Before my class, I would mold bricks. I don’t mind even if I go to school with dirty hands. What I aimed at is to finish school,” she said.

And she did.

And we’re sure Joepet too, with the help of her ever hardworking grandmother Sanâ.

END