Pantawid Members Experiment with Candle-Making

by Resty S. Odon

In a country that is 80% Catholic with a strong animist past, candles are an indispensable commodity. Ever since lighting a candle came to symbolize communion with Christ, candles have been used as prayer aids and ritual necessities during masses, baptisms, weddings, wakes, and funerals.

There is a common Filipino acrimonious expression, “Eh di magsolian na kami ng kandila!” (“We might as well return our candles!”), uttered during conflicts between families and friends, and this refers to the candles used during such major family occasions. “Ipagtitirik kita ng kandila.” (“I will light a candle for you.”) signifies one’s plan to pray for a person or his or her intention.

Even indigenous non-Catholic practices require candles, as in the case of making an atang (food offering) on the family altar and such native ‘healing’ practices as panag-tawas, panagparas, and panag-gaton.

Specialty candles on cakes – usually in the form of numbers – are routinely blown during birthday celebrations. The candle is especially in demand during All Souls’ Day when families visit their departed loved ones at the public cemetery and memorial parks, bearing flowers and artfully designed candles. Large religious gatherings and church corners devoted to popular religious icons would lose their solemnity without the sight of votive candles burning. As the candle smoke slowly rises to the heavens, believers attest that their ardent wishes and supplications are granted by the divine.

In the area of wellness, scented candles are also used to set a relaxed mood, as in spas and other places that offer massage and other pampering services.

Candles are also a big help every time there is a brownout or power outage. As the song said, “It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark.”

With all these in mind, the Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation Inc., headed by Chief Executive Officer Romyl Junio, has embarked on exploring the candle-making business in a trial run. Their main aim is to help provide an alternative livelihood option for members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in cooperation with the Local Government Unit of Bayambang and the Municipal Links of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Regional Office I.

According to KKSBFI’s project focal person Clara M. Basco, the first thing they did was to partner with an established candle-maker in Bongato East by the name of Romer Rusell to serve as a partner and trainer. Rusell, she revealed, was a former employee of Liwanag Candles and after making it in his own, has gone on to supply candles in Divisoria, Manaoag, and even China.

The first trial run was conducted at Brgy. Amanperez, where the Pantawid members witnessed the process of manufacturing the product. The members found that, although the process is simple, you have to keep on practicing to perfect the technique, for the process is sensitive to such factors as time and temperature. Not hitting the proper temperature within a given timeframe will result in ‘half-cooked’ candles, while excessive heat can destroy the molding machine.

Basco reported that KKSBFI had its first taste of massive production during the unveiling of the St. Vincent Ferrer supported bamboo sculpture at the St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park in Brgy. Bani during the 2019 annual town fiesta. But she said it was during the archdiocesan Christ the King celebration at the same venue that they really went large-scale, producing 20,000 pieces of large-sized candles which were pegged at P10 per piece. The same size of candles in Manaoag, she said, is worth P17 each. All in all, the startup capital was P100,000, she said. However, due to the nature of the occasion, the candles were all distributed for free.

Other potential markets include the old St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church, which has a large candle shed on the side for devotees of St. Vincent Ferrer, and its three offspring parishes, namely the Parish of St. Lorenzo Ruiz in Brgy. Wawa, Parish of San Isidro Labrador in Brgy. Carungay, and Parish of Santo Domingo Ybañez de Erquicia in Brgy. Sapang, together with all barangay chapels.

Basco said the Foundation is thinking of making value-added products by experimenting with candles with additional Señor San Vicente molding and that of other icons – again with Rusell’s technical expertise, and the resulting mold was manually colorized. She is also thinking about making floating candles and scented candles for other potential markets someday.