Mary Joy Barcelona

 

On November 3 and 4, 1999, DAWN sent Mary Joy Barcelona and another member to train on Tie-Dyeing Technology at PTRI. The two-day seminar/workshop exposed them to the right techniques in producing tie-dyed t-shirts and fabrics and to other textile-related technological possibilities.

 

The following year, Mary Joy underwent a series of skills upgrading through training, which included Dyeing of Synthetic Fibers and Basic and Advance Handloom Weaving.  She was just one of the numerous women who have found a new hope with PTRI’s training program.  She recalled a time in Japan when she was not able to get a customer through dohan, a club practice which involved going out to afternoon dates with male customers for a minimum of four per month to daily dates.  She was asked to stay outside the club, amid the freezing temperature of winter and entered only when she had a customer.

 

When her six-month contract expired, Mary Joy came back to the Philippines. While in the airport, she was asked to sign several documents. To her dismay, she found that half of her income went to the local recruitment agency.

 

From her residual income, she was able to buy a tricycle and set up a small sari-sari store, which became their main source of sustenance. However, owing to huge expenses, these investments went to nowhere.

 

 

It was in 1998 that she was referred together with a friend to DAWN for assistance. After undergoing counseling to renew her emotional strength, she enrolled for a degree in Library Science in her home province. The environment, however, for a former Japayuki was not conducive to learning. Added to this were the emotional pains brought about by her mother’s death in 1999 and the unfulfilled promise of her Japanese boyfriend. These adversities made her decide to seek refuge in DAWN, for the second time.

 

Those were the days for Joy. Today, she sees herself as a strong lady having realized how useless it was to brood or agonize over something miserable.  With the knowledge gained, determination and diligence, she is now the coordinator of SIKHAY where she is tasked with overseeing the production of the three program components, namely: sewing, hand weaving, and tie-dyeing, especially the requirements of every project, the quality of items produced, and the overall work performance of the members. 

 

Facing the challenge of her task, Joy decided to pursue her studies to further equip her with much-needed skills and knowledge that will also benefit her fellow women-members and the program, in general.  She is presently enrolled at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) taking up Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management.