Nueva Ecija town features ‘tambo’ in patron saint’s feast

SAN ANTONIO, Nueva Ecija—In this town, residents are proving that it is indeed more fun sweeping in the Philippines.

Students clad in costumes made from walis tambo (reed broom) went around town in a street dancing competition to promote the product during the feast of San Antonio Abad (St. Anthony the Abbot) on Friday.

The dancers’ costumes were decorated with tiger grass panicles. Some used bamboo sticks (which are used as broom handles), while others used bonding wires or plastic strings to make the walis tambo stand out in the festival.

“Really, it’s more fun in this part of the country where people go to the streets and witness the excellent performance of our students in street dancing,” said Dr. Angelita Salonga-Esquivel, hermana (cochair) of the celebration.

With many parts of San Antonio (population: 67,500) acting as catch basin during the rainy season, tiger grass, the material used in making brooms, grow in abundance, particularly in swampy areas.

Noting the potentials of the industry as an alternative livelihood for locals, aside from agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry and the town government identified walis tambo as its One Town One Product (OTOP).

Brigida Pili, DTI provincial director, said Mayor Arvin Salonga and the local government, the DTI and other agencies provide technical and financial support for upgrading the product.

While the street dancing competition was ongoing, several stalls sold walis tambo around the town’s gymnasium. The brooms were labeled and marked to show these were made in San Antonio.

Marisol Pablo, a broom maker and vendor, said they sell their product from P80 to P300, depending on the size.

She said local broom makers could assure the buyers of the quality of their products because they have been trained well.

Esquivel said the town government has tapped the help of the private sector to improve the industry which, she said, is creating jobs for San Antonio residents.

“It started as a very small household business but it’s now growing,” she said.

“[Broom making] is fun and it’s our hope,” Pablo said.

Armando Cruz, town budget officer, said the industry was featured in the town’s feast because “everybody knows its potentials and we all support it.”

Msgr. Felipe Dayao, parish priest here, said broom making has been a worthwhile activity among the youth.

“Before, when I was asked of my parish I would answer, ‘In San Antonio,’ and they would again ask, ‘Where is that?’ Today, when I say San Antonio, they will say, ‘The home of broom,’” Dayao said. Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon