By next year, furniture makers in Catanduanes will be able to trim the cost of a typical wooden door with intricate carving by as much as 70 percent, with the use of computer-aided routers and laser engravers.
This is a welcome development for the local Wearables and Homestyle Industry, with proprietors joining officials of the Department of Trade and Industry (STI) in the launching of the Shared Service Facility (SSF) in Calatagan Proper, Virac last July 10, 2026.
A flagship initiative of the DTI, the SSF Program is designed to boost the productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by providing them with shared access to modern machinery, advanced equipment, tools, and systems.
The Shared Space for Fabrication established at the compound of A. Teves Enterprises will create sustainable employment and increase the income of enterprises engaged in the manufacturing of furniture, handicraft and creative products.
Under the Usufruct Agreement signed last Friday by DTI Regional Director Dindo G. Nabol, DTI Catanduanes Provincial Director Maria Belma Q. Escueta, Pinoy Lingap Damayan Multipurpose Cooperative (PLDC) General Manager Antonio A. Jimenez Jr. and BOD Chairman Anita L. Tabirara, the DTI provided equipment worth a total of P4.345 million for the use of 25 furniture makers and 28 handicraft makers in the province.
These include a P2.1 million-Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Router that could accommodate wood frames as large as a piece of plywood, a P1.45 million Laser Engraver and Cutter of the same size.
The other equipment turned over by DTI were a Bartack Machine, Weaving Looms, Cylinder-Bed Binding Machine, two units of Drill Press, two units of Band Saw, and a Winding/Bobbing Machine.
As cooperator of the facility, PLDC will provide support in terms of suitable facilities to house the machinery and equipment, personnel, and P500,000 as working capital.
An arrangement has been made with A. Teves Enterprises to provide the space in its building along the national highway along with the operator to be trained in running the CNC machines.
Before the island was declared as the Abaca Capital of the Philippines, Catanduanes was already a key player in Bicol furniture industry or its high-quality wooden home furnishings made from hard wood.
However, despite the skilled craftmanship that extended to the handicraft sector, several challenges hindered the growth of MSMEs, among them the limited access to technology and needed tools and equipment.
Many small-scale producers rely on traditional, labor-intensive methods and outdated equipment, resulting in slow production, inconsistent quality and an inability to meet large orders, with proposed acquisition of new equipment hampered by high capital cost.
A decline in the number of skilled carvers also threatened the sustainability of the industry, especially those that rely on intricate, hand-carved pieces, the DTI said.
Under the terms of the agreement, the DTI may either transfer ownership of the SSF to the cooperator upon demonstrating successful management of the facilities or extend the usufruct for another two (2) years if the cooperator needs additional time to successfully operate the facility.
“You are given two years to use the machines. After two years, we will make an assessment,” RD Nabol told the beneficiaries. “If after two years, the machines were not utilized properly and the expected outcome were not met, DTI will transfer it to another cooperator in other areas.:
The operation of the SSF may be considered successful if there has been an increase of at least 10 percent in the number of beneficiaries assisted and an increase of at least 10 percent in sales and/or income generated.
“So, I encourage our industry players to really make use of the facility and the machines,” Nabol stated. “Try to make the most of it because that is for you, to enhance and improve your productivity..”
He reminded them that using the facility is not entirely free as it has corresponding costs including power consumption, maintenance and supervision, with these to be included in the Manual of Operations which will be prepared later.
In the Bicol region, Catanduanes is the only province to have such a large CNC machine, which is much bigger than those found in fabrication laboratories, he disclosed.
He cited the fact that while an ordinary wooden door will take two weeks for its design to be finished by a carver, the machine will complete the same in just 45 minutes.
DTI will help the industry expand its market beyond the island, as an increase in productivity will be useless if there are no buyers, Dir. Nabol emphasized.
“Do not be contended with the usual furniture products. Think of the something that will entice the interest of the customers,” he advised the group, adding that with the use of the computer-aided machines, it will be easy to think of new designs.
Likewise, he expressed hope that Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza would grant the DTI’s request for the provision of a three-phase transformer for the SSF to enable the machines to run.
The DTI director lamented that the proponent was not able to incorporate in the proposal the use of solar power to run the facility, like what was done in two similar establishments in Albay.
It is claimed that about P150,000 is needed for the power transformer to be installed by the local electric cooperative before the equipment can even be tested on site.
Personnel from the Bicol University, which has a similar but smaller CNC router and laser engraver, will conduct the training for the SSF operator.
As of last week, there are no specifics as to how much PLDC, through A. Teves Enterprises, will charge for the use of the machines as it would have to consider its actual power consumption.
An official of the company told the Tribune that making a wooden door with carving design is labor intensive and will take a carver about a month to complete, at a cost of P15,000.
The CNC router and laser engraver will finish the job in less than a day and with better quality finish compared to manual carving.
The SSF also has two sewing machines for use in making abaca slippers and another equipment for the use of handicraft makers specializing in coconut shell products.
Prior to the turnover of the facility, the DTI conducted a forum on the SSF program at RHAJ Inn Function Hall where the cooperators, MSMEs from the Processed Food sector and Wearables & Homestyle sector, local leaders and agency partners shared updates and insights as well as strategies to improve SSF implementation.
The DTI also expressed its gratitude for the strong support of its partners, including Virac Mayor Sinforoso M. Sarmiento Jr., San Andres Mayor Aly T. Romano, Caramoran Mayor Glenda V. Aguilar, DOST Provincial Director Marie Grace Molina, PLDC, DOLE, and Cesar Cristobal of NOURD International Distribution which supplied the machines.