Josephine Locsin - Tumandok Crafts Industries - #PleaseSaveMe - finances - fire - fire insurance - insurance money - Philippine handicraft - resin laminated houseware - Association of Negros Producers - Negros Showroom - hand painted - artisanal products - natural materials

Learn how Ms. Josephine Locsin of Tumandok Crafts Industries brought her business back to life.

Tumandok Crafts Industries: Rebuilding a Business Ravaged by Fire

A factory, showroom, and inventory ending up as a pile of ashes is a nightmare for any company. Let alone a single proprietorship like Tumandok Crafts Industries of Bacolod City.

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A factory, showroom, and inventory ending up as a pile of ashes is a nightmare for any company. Let alone a single proprietorship like Tumandok Crafts Industries of Bacolod City.

Josephine Locsin - Tumandok Crafts Industries - #PleaseSaveMe - finances - fire - fire insurance - insurance money - Philippine handicraft - resin laminated houseware - Association of Negros Producers - Negros Showroom - hand painted - artisanal products - natural materials - Bacolod blogger - #PlsSaveMe
Ms. Josephine Locsin at her showroom in Bago City.

The Tale of Tumandok Crafts Industries

Ms. Josephine “Jojie” Locsin, a woman with strong faith in God, started Tumandok Crafts Industries October 1988. It was a trading firm, a micro-enterprise registered with the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as a sole proprietorship. They went into buying and selling homemade Philippines handicrafts during the height of the sugar industry crisis in Negros Occidental.

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Picture frames made of Capiz shells and laminated in resin. This line is very popular in trade fairs.

Ms. Jojie wanted to give extra income as well as hope to the sugar workers displaced by the crisis. She wanted to provide a market for the handicraft they produced.

Joining the Association of Negros Producers

Tumandok joined the Association of Negros Producers (ANP) also on the same year. With the workshops held by the association, they were encouraged to produce their own artisanal products. They made bags, buri furniture and baskets, hand-painted wall decors, and terracotta figurines and vases.

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A lamp and plaque made of Capiz shells.

Jojie saw the demand for more of their products. Additionally, she saw that so many more people needed jobs.

So Tumandok expanded its territory. In 1997, they established their own lamination factory in Barangay Central Ma-ao, Bago City. The new venture was started with twelve (12) workers and an initial capital of PhP50,000.

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Swatches of laminated designs.

Placing her utter trust and commitment to God, Jojie acknowledges that the Almighty is the real owner of her business. She believes that she is only the manager.

More Products and Orders

Tumandok produced innovative laminated gift items and housewares. They used discarded natural materials found in the environment as their base designs.

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Tumandok Crafts Industries uses indigenous materials for their products.

Their new products were displayed at the ANP Showroom and eventually attracted an exports buyer. The laminated product lines became the flagship products of Tumandok.

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Some of the products made by Tumandok Crafts Industries.

After a year, the demand for Tumandok wares in the domestic and foreign markets increased. More workers were hired and they opened a temporary factory at Greenplains Subdivision, Bacolod City. This was in 1999.

A Great Misfortune

Four years later, Tumandok Crafts Industries experienced a major setback. Their factory at Greenplains was ravaged by a big fire.

It was a Sunday morning and only a guard was on duty. A faulty wiring in the far end of the work area sparked. Since it was drizzling, that spark erupted into flames. The guard said that it looked like a shower of sparks that lit up the nearest areas. Since most of their materials are highly combustible, the whole factory went up in flames fast.

Josephine Locsin - Tumandok Crafts Industries - #PleaseSaveMe - finances - fire - fire insurance - insurance money - Philippine handicraft - resin laminated houseware - Association of Negros Producers - Negros Showroom - hand painted - artisanal products - natural materials - Bacolod blogger - #PlsSaveMe
Tumandok uses highly combustible natural materials found in the environment.

Although the warehouse was insured, they were not able to list down the finished products. They were not able to account for them. And they had a lot back then because orders were being prepared for shipment. The insurance money was not enough to cover the inventory and cost of the entire losses.

Faith in God and Humanity

Despite the humbling experience, Jojie never lost faith in God. In fact, it only made her cling to Him more. The #PlsSaveMe and my business prayer was sent to heaven more than a thousand times. She knew she was not alone in the journey. God would restore her finances, her business, and her people’s jobs.

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A woman of great faith. Jojie Locsin has her own prayer room at her factory. Her employees can come here freely to pray, especially if they’re having a bad day. They also have weekly worship services in the company.

She never felt bitter at the incident. Instead, she kept on praying and focusing her energy on rebuilding. She found a 3000-square-meter lot for sale in Barangay Calumangan, Bago City, Negros Occidental. The bank was selling it for a very low rate so she was able to acquire it.

Meanwhile, hews of the devastating fire reached their customers abroad. One of their clients from the Netherlands reached out to them and donated funds. So they were able to start building the new factory. Furthermore, when the finances ran dry, that same client offered a loan.

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Part of the new factory in Calumanggan, Bago City,

Six months later, Tumandok Crafts Industries opened the new factory. It had been the permanent home of their operations ever since the fateful incident. Like the resurrection, Jojie attributes everything to the Lord’s favor and kindness of people.

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Assorted home decors.

Meanwhile, visit Tumandok’s showroom and find small resin laminated items for Bacolod pasalubong.

Bacolod showroom - Josephine Locsin - Tumandok Crafts Industries - #PleaseSaveMe - finances - fire - fire insurance - insurance money - Philippine handicraft - resin laminated houseware - Association of Negros Producers - Negros Showroom - hand painted - artisanal products - natural materials - - Bacolod blogger - #PlsSaveMe
My kids Shawna and Shane, pictured here with Ms. Jojie at the Tumandok Bacolod showroom.

Contact Information

Tumandok Crafts Industries
Showroom: G/F Cybergate Robinsons
Singcang, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines 6100
Tel. Nos.: (+6334) 476.1059 | (+6334) 713.8327
Email: mktg018.tumandok@gmail.com
Website: www.Tumandok.com

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5 thoughts on “Tumandok Crafts Industries: Rebuilding a Business Ravaged by Fire

  1. It’s great to see that many Filipinos are very artistic. It makes me really proud. Thank you for sharing this.

  2. Isang magandang inspirasyon po ung kwento ni mam jojie..Kung may pananalig ka po talaga sa DIYOS lahat ng dalangin mo matutupad..Congrats po sa bagong factory ni maam jojie..

  3. Nakakatuwa talagang makita na kahit anong pagsubok ang dumating, ang mga Pilipino talagang malikhain at maka-Diyos. Thanks for sharing Mommy Sig, another inspiring story/blog post.

  4. Totoo yan ,kahit sa anong pagsubok nag pahdadaanan wag mawalaan ng Pag asa na makabangon muli at wag sya tanungin kung bakit,sa halip Lalo pa tayong makikipag usap sa kanya at humingi ng lakas para bumangon muli,sya ang bahala kasama ng ating sipag at tyaga🙏🏼

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