stone fireplace http://www.cn-stonenet.com Rocked by a typhoon and the tragedy of the
Sulpicio Lines' MV Princess sinking in its waters, Romblon folk,
especially Sibuyanons, are still groping for economic recovery.
Because of toxic chemicals in the ship, fishing
has been stopped in the waters of Sibuyan Island deprising the local
folks of their only source of income.
Romelyn "Rom" Diana, 29, sees hope in marble, which the province is known for.
"They can earn P100-P150 per day if they won't mind quarrying and polishing stones and scrap marbles," Rom claims.
She says Philippine marble is in demand abroad and
she believes this is because the stones are authentically white, while
the costs of labor and quarrying are cheaper.
"Moreover, foreigners love the touch of Filipino craftsmanship," Rom says.
She adds that cold countries want Romblon marble to hold their wine.
While China is a top competitor, Rom says, she was
told by Koreans that the Chinese might be stopped from quarrying in two
years' time because of the recent quakes that occurred in China killing
thousands and the new depth required in quarrying.
"We're still okay because we're neither using
high-tech machines nor [doing] massive quarrying that destroys the
mountain," she said.
Marble negotiator
Parrying the strong mining opposition in Romblon,
Rom says that as long as mining laws are adhered to, there should be no
problem.
Rom used to be the executive assistant to the vice governor of the province, earning around P15,000 a month.
The province would always have foreign visitors, among them Koreans.
"I just gave my calling card to the Koreans, and not long, I got a surprise call from them."
The Koreans, who could hardly speak English, asked her to be a marble "negotiator" for them.
"It was going abroad for a job, and not doing
business in my hometown, that I wanted," said the computer science
graduate of Adamson University.
But then the Koreans wanted her to be their
"business manager" to control the quality of marble carvings they buy
from the province.
Among foreign clients, Rom finds the Koreans hardest to please "but they pay well, with 50-percent down upon filing of orders."
Soon the Koreans became frustrated with late shipments, so they encouraged Rom to get into the business.
In 2006, she resigned from her six-year government job so she could closely supervise her growing business.
Her own boss
Rom said it's advantageous to manage one's own business, which she named Rom Marble Enterprise. She now controls her schedule.
She became a boss to 30 carvers, three operators of lathe machines and two polishers.
"It also feels good that I am able to provide livelihood to people even older than I," she says.
One late afternoon in her plant in Barangay
Cahimos, which also houses her residence, she showed the Inquirer
carved marble temple Buddhas with 50 facial expressions, which they
were finishing for shipment to Korea.
She had just shipped 50 Buddha pieces and 200
bases (for Buddha seats). They were working on the remaining 150
Buddha, each she sells at factory price.
"One shipment can be good enough for one year earning," said Rom.
A good season means that in one year, there are
three shipments of a 140-ton cargo in a container van. Prime shipments
are late December, early October and middle of April during the Buddha
festival.
Business ethics
Rom says she is particular with business ethics,
one of the subjects she valued during her masters in business
management degree, which she pursued courtesy of the provincial
government while working there.
She does not only deliver on time. She does it a
week before the deadline. She does not rush on the quality so she
doubles her workers, whom she pays per piece.
"That's why I got my clients' trust. I don't compromise the quality over profit," says Rom.
Among her clients is a Buddha mediator, who, she said, is "like our Cardinal Sin."
Working on several sets of temple Buddhas with
different faces, she learned to respect another culture. "It's just
like that of Catholics who have images of saints," she says.
Rom's next project with the Koreans is the carving of urns.
Urns
"There's a good market in Asia where marble
cremation urns sell, like in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. It has
become practical for some because cremation costs from P7,000 to P8,000
while burial is about P30,000," says Rom.
She also sells her products, especially paper weights, locally.
Her products of jars and vases range from P100 to P5,000, depending on the size.
Rom once displayed a six-feet jar and urn sample
in her friend Des' Herbal Garden in the Quezon Circle in Quezon City.
After six months, the jar was taken for P100,000.
Even when there are no orders, she doesn't want her workers to lose their livelihood.
"I feel for my workers who were hit by the typhoon, their concern about their family's food and children's schooling," said Rom.
She stocks up the items, waiting for the right time and place for selling.
Like now, some will be shipped to Panagbenga Flower Festival in Baguio in February next year.
Rom loves the challenges in competing with the
international market. But she is saddened by the fact that the Romblon
marble exported to other countries like Germany is not credited to the
country.
She continues to innovate with her designs.
"I'm open, like having a new match of marble and
wood or brass so it does not become very flat. I look around the mall,
see the possibilities with ceramics and fiber glass and experiment on
these with our marble."
To get orders and referrals, she joins national exhibits.
Rom, single, unwinds from her busy schedule by
traveling around the country, relaxing in the beach, hanging out with
friends, riding her motorcycle around town, taking photos of sunsets
and plants, spending hours on the Internet or listening to reggae music
until she falls asleep.
She never travels without her laptop, her virtual office and a camera.
Rocked by a typhoon and the tragedy of the
Sulpicio Lines' MV Princess sinking in its waters, Romblon folk,
especially Sibuyanons, are still groping for economic recovery.
Because of toxic chemicals in the ship, fishing
has been stopped in the waters of Sibuyan Island deprising the local
folks of their only source of income.
Romelyn "Rom" Diana, 29, sees hope in marble, which the province is known for.
"They can earn P100-P150 per day if they won't mind quarrying and polishing stones and scrap marbles," Rom claims.
She says Philippine marble is in demand abroad and
she believes this is because the stones are authentically white, while
the costs of labor and quarrying are cheaper.
"Moreover, foreigners love the touch of Filipino craftsmanship," Rom says.
She adds that cold countries want Romblon marble to hold their wine.
While China is a top competitor, Rom says, she was
told by Koreans that the Chinese might be stopped from quarrying in two
years' time because of the recent quakes that occurred in China killing
thousands and the new depth required in quarrying.
"We're still okay because we're neither using
high-tech machines nor [doing] massive quarrying that destroys the
mountain," she said.
Marble negotiator
Parrying the strong mining opposition in Romblon,
Rom says that as long as mining laws are adhered to, there should be no
problem.
Rom used to be the executive assistant to the vice governor of the province, earning around P15,000 a month.
The province would always have foreign visitors, among them Koreans.
"I just gave my calling card to the Koreans, and not long, I got a surprise call from them."
The Koreans, who could hardly speak English, asked her to be a marble "negotiator" for them.
"It was going abroad for a job, and not doing
business in my hometown, that I wanted," said the computer science
graduate of Adamson University.
But then the Koreans wanted her to be their
"business manager" to control the quality of marble carvings they buy
from the province.
Among foreign clients, Rom finds the Koreans hardest to please "but they pay well, with 50-percent down upon filing of orders."
Soon the Koreans became frustrated with late shipments, so they encouraged Rom to get into the business.
In 2006, she resigned from her six-year government job so she could closely supervise her growing business.
Her own boss
Rom said it's advantageous to manage one's own business, which she named Rom Marble Enterprise. She now controls her schedule.
She became a boss to 30 carvers, three operators of lathe machines and two polishers.
"It also feels good that I am able to provide livelihood to people even older than I," she says.
One late afternoon in her plant in Barangay
Cahimos, which also houses her residence, she showed the Inquirer
carved marble temple Buddhas with 50 facial expressions, which they
were finishing for shipment to Korea.
She had just shipped 50 Buddha pieces and 200
bases (for Buddha seats). They were working on the remaining 150
Buddha, each she sells at factory price.
"One shipment can be good enough for one year earning," said Rom.
A good season means that in one year, there are
three shipments of a 140-ton cargo in a container van. Prime shipments
are late December, early October and middle of April during the Buddha
festival.
Business ethics
Rom says she is particular with business ethics,
one of the subjects she valued during her masters in business
management degree, which she pursued courtesy of the provincial
government while working there.
She does not only deliver on time. She does it a
week before the deadline. She does not rush on the quality so she
doubles her workers, whom she pays per piece.
"That's why I got my clients' trust. I don't compromise the quality over profit," says Rom.
Among her clients is a Buddha mediator, who, she said, is "like our Cardinal Sin."
Working on several sets of temple Buddhas with
different faces, she learned to respect another culture. "It's just
like that of Catholics who have images of saints," she says.
Rom's next project with the Koreans is the carving of urns.
Urns
"There's a good market in Asia where marble
cremation urns sell, like in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. It has
become practical for some because cremation costs from P7,000 to P8,000
while burial is about P30,000," says Rom.
She also sells her products, especially paper weights, locally.
Her products of jars and vases range from P100 to P5,000, depending on the size.
Rom once displayed a six-feet jar and urn sample
in her friend Des' Herbal Garden in the Quezon Circle in Quezon City.
After six months, the jar was taken for P100,000.
Even when there are no orders, she doesn't want her workers to lose their livelihood.
"I feel for my workers who were hit by the typhoon, their concern about their family's food and children's schooling," said Rom.
She stocks up the items, waiting for the right time and place for selling.
Like now, some will be shipped to Panagbenga Flower Festival in Baguio in February next year.
Rom loves the challenges in competing with the
international market. But she is saddened by the fact that the Romblon
marble exported to other countries like Germany is not credited to the
country.
She continues to innovate with her designs.
"I'm open, like having a new match of marble and
wood or brass so it does not become very flat. I look around the mall,
see the possibilities with ceramics and fiber glass and experiment on
these with our marble."
To get orders and referrals, she joins national exhibits.
Rom, single, unwinds from her busy schedule by
traveling around the country, relaxing in the beach, hanging out with
friends, riding her motorcycle around town, taking photos of sunsets
and plants, spending hours on the Internet or listening to reggae music
until she falls asleep.
She never travels without her laptop, her virtual office and a camera.
