HP Handicrafts

Across the street from the home of Lucing Pontioso and her daughter Aireen Pelagio is a large two-story warehouse for HP Handicrafts. It was built in 1988 during the boom time of handicrafts. It still holds an extensive inventory of coco leaf products and baskets, as well as the raw material needed to supply producers; but the boom time for handicrafts is over. In the beginning, the grandparents of Aireen Pelagio just gathered crafts from nearby barangays and transported them to Divasora for sale. About 20 years ago Lucing Pontioso and her husband, Horonato, who is now decreased, formally organized it as a business.

  • Location: Tayabas, Quezon-Southern Tagalog Region
  • Founded/Organized: 1982
  • Type of business: family led project
  • Products: Coco leave products and baskets
  • Number of workers:160 Male/Female: 70/90
  • Male/Female: 70/90

At the present time HP Handicrafts facilitates the distribution of job orders and the marketing for handcrafters in seven barangays in the area. The crafts are primarily coco-based leaf and bark baskets with coco and buri rope trim, sliced wood and twig baskets and split rattan baskets. The weavers of the coco products are predominately men (70%). Material used for the production is purchased locally from nearby Bicol and Batangas areas, with the coco leaves being from the immediate area of production. Producers are supplied the needed materials by HP Handicrafts and then accounted for when determining the price paid for the item. The designs have been developed over the years, mostly through input from buyers. HP Handicrafts does not design products themselves.

PREDA has been assisting in promotion and market development.