TCF Volunteer Monitor Passes Mechanical Board Exam

Engr. Reinheart R. Malate

Reinheart R. Malate, 22, passed the recent Board Exam for Mechanical Engineers. Reinheart is now a licensed Mechanical Engineer!

CONGRATULATIONS, REINHEART.

Reinheart volunteered for a year, to the Textile Clothing Footwear Ormoc project. As a volunteer, he received a food and transportation allowance provided by Dr. Jaap Poll, CEO of Ottoman Energy Limited who granted us with P150,000 to pay for the allowances of eight Volunteer Youth Monitors for the Textile Clothing Footwear (TCF) project. For one whole year Dr. Poll enabled 8 kids to enroll in college and in high school.That money also made sure that the 25 Community Livelihood Sewing Centers were monitored. The money lasted from June, 2008 to May, 2009.

Reinheart was one of those kids who benefitted from Dr. Poll's grant. Now, Reinheart is reminded how his allowance helped him and his family for a year. He is very grateful to Dr. Poll.

Reinheart with Father of Ormoc Youth, Xerxes Solon and an AGYLA volunteer.

I asked Reinheart to write his short autobiography for this blog and here goes:

I am Reinheart R. Malate, 22 years of age, and was born on

March 6, 1988. I now live temporarily at our church - United

Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ located in Barangay

Punta, Ormoc City.

I studied and graduated Bachelor of Science in Mechanical

Engineering from the Eastern Visayas State University Ormoc

Campus.

My mother's name is Nilda R. Malate and my father's name

was Rodolfo P. Malate, who died last May 26, 1999 due to

heart failure.

My younger brother's name is Rodolfo R. Malate, Jr. presently

taking up Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the

same university where I graduated.

I usually refresh myself up by listening and playing musical

instruments. I love music and this helps me unwind my

whole day hang ups. Sometimes, I spend my leisure times at

home reading books, scanning and skimming through my old

class notes and tracks, texting, and even solving "Sudoku"

booklet. These things make me feel being fruitful during idle

moments for I really love to tap my brain at times when I

frozen.

Another thing that breaks my time is bible reading. I am a

bible teacher in our church and it's fulfilling partaking and

sharing bible infos to everyone.

I took the board examination for Mechanical Engineering

students last September 9 and 10, 2010. Fortunately, I passed

the exhausting exam with an average rating of 80.03%.

Right now, I keep myself busy searching and applying for

jobs that would fit my preferences and qualifications and is

in line with my profession. I am hopeful seeing myself in the

near months as a stable Mechanical Engineer in a prolific

company.

Ormoc’s guest designer makes it BIG!

With so much pride and glee I am presenting here Pia Gladys Perey’s 2010 Spring Summer Collection.

I remember Carol Hanlon, TCF Ormoc Mentor, Primemover and Inspiration, having responded to Pia’s request to participate and present her collection in an Australian Fashion Week. It was in one of the emails that were shared by a few among us.

In 2009 she was invited by Carol to come to Ormoc to showcase her designs and even brought her modelling assistant to train STI students to model her collection and the clothes made by women being assisted by Carol’s TCF Western Australia and master dressmaker to train the TCF Ormoc women on pattern-making.

She then went on to parade her dresses in different fashion festivals in the world.

On August 6 Pia posted on her Facebook page this:

Pia Gladys Perey waaaaaaaaaaaaa angelina jolie wants to wear PGP for SALT premiere! heart attack!

And since, it has attracted 43 comments as of this writing. This wonderful news came a day after she came back from the hospital being gifted with beautiful twins.

Below is from one of her emails to us:

Pia Gladys Perey debuted in the international fashion scene at the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in 2008 and 2009 followed by a launch in the USA at the Miami International Fashion Week and FOCUS Apparel Show in LA in early 2010 which received rave reviews from the media. Pia has also been cited as one of the top 10 designers for 3 consecutive years at the Philippine Fashion Week and is being stocked at the store of the infamous Patricia Field in New York.

Kind Regards,

Earnest Samson

Sales Manager

Pia Gladys Perey Enterprises

http://piagladysperey.net/about-us.html

Some of her 2010 Spring Summer Collection are featured below:

Pia Gladys - Perey, Filipina

Pia Gladys - Perey is a Filipina designer whom Carol Hanlon has invited to one of Belmont's Fashion Festivals. Since, Pia has been invited to different fashion shows in New York, Hongkong and elsewhere.

Below are part of her fashion collection:

Help!

I can't find my photos on the 2009 Ormoc Fashion Parade. Anybody who has photos please send it to me by email.

Thanks!

PFI Summer Youth Camp 2010

In partnership with Active Genuine Youth Leaders Association (AGYLA), Pagtinabangay Foundation is once again conducting a SUMMER YOUTH CAMP to be held on May 28-30, 2010.

Theme for this year is “Ormoc Kids on the election just past”.

Participants to the camp will come from kids of low-income families and out-of-school youth members of AGYLA. Please sponsor one or more children.

Carol visits the livelihood centers

Every time Carol visits the Philippines, part of her itinerary/schedule is her visits to the livelihood centers in the villages (barangays). We started out with the farthest livelihood center situated about 600 meters above sea level in Barangay Cabintan. These Center visits were in the 14th day of January, Carol's 3rd day in Ormoc. It was raining the whole day.

From Cabintan, we came down to Barangay Cabulihan. They were waiting for us since 8:00 in the morning. Their other members have left for their homes to prepare their family's lunch.

We just passed by this Livelihood Center in Barangay San Pablo since the Coordinator and some of her members were at the Patter-Making Training at the St. Benedict Socio-Pastoral Center.

She's a member of Cabulihan Livelihood Center. She is deaf-mute and makes handbags from the first textile donations in 2007.

Cabulihan Livelihood Center Coordinator with wife and daughter.

This is the dirt road in Barangay Cabintan. It was raining the whole day of January 14, her 3rd day in Ormoc, Philippines.

This is the path walk going the house of the Center Coordinator.

With a hurt ankle, it was difficult for Carol to go up this slippery

path. So the Coordinator came down with a small bag of cooked

banana for us. They talked inside the car.

Since it was raining and the Center is at the house of the Coordinator which is on a hill above the main barangay (village) road and very slippery, it was the Coordinator who came down to talk to Carol who was nursing a hurt ankle. Armed with cooked banana provided by the Center Coordinator, they had their "conference" inside the OCCCI-rented car, hahaha.

Belmont Business Women’s Club President Carol Hanlon to Attend Prestigious United Nations Event in New York

Ms Carol Hanlon, President of Belmont Business Professional Women (Belmont BPW) will be representing local women at the upcoming fifty-fourth session of the United Nations – Commission on the Status of Women to be held from the 1^st to the 12^th of March 2010 in New York.

The Commission on the Status of Women will undertake a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.

Emphasis will be placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals, Member States representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and of United Nations entities that will participate in the session.

Ms Hanlon will have the opportunity to attend a series of parallel events which will provide additional opportunities or information exchange and networking.

Carol said, “I am proud to be representing Belmont BPW, which is such an honour. BPW is one of the 5 member groups in the world that has advisory input into the United Nations Status of Women which provides a voice not only for Australian women, but for the women in over 90 countries in the world where BPW is located”.

BPW Belmont was chartered in March 2006, meets monthly for networking, and bi-monthly for a casual dinner, guest speaker or other activity. BPW Membership is open to women who would like to share their skills, talents and fellowship for the benefit of women, their community, locally, nationally and internationally.

Belmont BPW co-ordinates an extensive list of innovative and creative programs and projects for the benefit of its members and those it seeks to support that include networking events, mentoring, youth projects, micro enterprise, scholarships and the celebration of women around the globe.

Whilst in New York, Ms Hanlon will visit the offices of Info Dev / World Bank, where she has been invited to join the Info Development Global Committee on Women’s Business Incubation after recently attending the 3rd Global Forum Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Brazil in October 2009.

For further information on Belmont BPW please contact:

President: Carol Hanlon E: carol.hanlon@belmontbec.com

BH: 94793777 M: 0417 963231

MEDIA RELEASE: TCF ORMOC COMMUNITY SEWING PROJECT GAINS MOMENTUM

TCF Ormoc was commenced in 2007 by the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA) with support from Business and Professional Women’s Clubs of Belmont & Western Australia (BPW) and the Matilda Bay Rotary Club. The project was established in a partnership with local Ormoc community organisations led by Pagtinabangay Foundation.

TCF Global community sewing project aimed to assist women to start a small sewing business in Ormoc and the project provided the necessary sewing machines and raw materials to the locals to assist develop their creativity and produce evening wear, children's wear, uniforms, and home wares.

The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCF WA) has previously sent two container loads of pre-loved sewing machines totalling 280 machines, textiles and hundreds of cartons of sewing haberdashery to Ormoc and its surrounding villages. Carol Hanlon, Manager TCFWA & Belmont BEC recently volunteered for a week in Ormoc, providing business skill workshops, visiting sewing centres and assisted with the staging of 2^nd annual Ormoc Fashion Festival. Carol was thrilled to see the progress of the TCF Ormoc project which is expanding rapidly and to witness once again the creative talent of the local community.

The project has recently grown from 21 community sewing centres to 25, and 8 more are expected to commence shortly. It is expected that more than 250 Ormoc men and women will now be a part of this project also. The Ormoc project is has now moved under the umbrella of Ormoc Community Credit Co-operative (OCCCI) and there are plans to establish a retail TCF Ormoc showcase at the market centre. The community organisation is also planning to start a Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) type support centre to assist the micro small business operators.

Belmont BEC is providing a mentor role to assist OCCCI BEC develop under its BEC Global program to develop a business centre for the region and for the benefit of micro enterprise in the Ormoc region including the TCF Ormoc participants.

For more history and information on the project please view www.tcformoc.com

TCF WA Contact:

Carol Hanlon
TCF Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA)

TCF Global
Designedge Fashion Incubator

Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (BEC)
Ph: (08) 94793777 Mob: 0417 963 231

Email: carol.hanlon@tcfwa.com

Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc. (TCFWA)

PO Box 370, Cloverdale WA 6985 Phone 08 94793777 Fax 08 94793888

Email info@tcfwa.com www.tcfwa.com

www.tcfaustralia.com www.tcfglobal.com www.belmontbec.com www.designedge.net.au

The designer with a heart...

"Pia Gladys Perey, the designer behind the label White Kitten, was born and raised in the country town of Tagaytay in the Philippines. As a child Pia was exposed to fashion, sewing and pattern making through her grandmother. Pia would spend her school breaks not playing with her friends but watching her grandmother make clothing patterns. Pia has worked for various fashion companies – both retail and made to order before launching her own label white kitten. 2007 was a major milestone for Pia when her label was featured at ‘The Source’ of the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in Sydney, Australia. Since the launch, White Kitten has gone on to be featured in Rosemount Australian Fashion Week at the New Generation fashion show during 2008, and the Ready To Wear show during 2009.

Pia’s work has been featured and reviewed in Fashion TV and by top fashion magazines and newspapers in Australia and South East Asia such as Who Australia (Aug 09), Stella Magazine Philippines (Jun 09), Mx (Jul 09), Sense and Style Phils Cover (Sept 09), Passions Malaysia /Singapore May 09), The Sunday Telegraph (April 27, ‘08 issue), Fashion Journal (June and July ’08 issue), Cleo (July ’08 issue), international forecasting magazine Fashion Trend (second quarter ’08 and 09 issue, Australia and Milan), and Elle Hong Kong (July ’08 issue), Harper’s Bazaar Indonesia (Dec 08). Pia was also cited by local publications in the Philippines as one of the top 10 designers in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 at the Philippine Fashion Week. Since 2007, White Kitten has exploded onto the international fashion scene with sales made in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore with further interest in the label showed in New Zealand, Europe, USA, and other parts of South East Asia." - http://piagladysperey.net/about-us.html

Pia came to Ormoc on invitation of Carol Hanlon, TCF Ormoc sponsor and adviser. At the Pattern-Making Training of the Ormoc Fashion Festival in January this year, she inspired the 60 livelihood center coordinators and cutters of her humble beginnings. She spoke of how she started as a designer and struggled until today when she is able to parade her clothes in prestigious fashion festivals and events internationally.

Acknowledging this, she did not hesitate to come to Ormoc to help the village-level sewing centers. She not only said yes to Carol to show off her recent collection, she even volunteered to bring her pattern-maker and ramp modelling assistant.

The women said that they are very thankful to Pia and Carol for the training. They learned sewing secrets that they haven't yet encountered and which are not as easily offered by other dressmakers.

Linking with Rotary Clubs

On her 3rd day in Ormoc, Carol Hanlon of TCF Western Australia met with the Rotary Club of Ormoc Bay. ROC president Anna Bumagat and Aileen Suarez discussed with Carol the possibilities of ROC assisting TCF Ormoc in any way they can. The meeting that day was very productive with ROC even going to the extent of making TCF Ormoc (under OCCCI) a partner in one of their programs. Cool!

Later in the day she also met with Michael Berndt, president of the Rotary Club of Ormoc Bay. It was again another productive meeting with Michael there who's together with his wife, Imelda Sacay, were very supportive of the project.

OCCCI will have very good partners for the Textile Clothing Footwear Ormoc project.

Good Luck to all of us!

Training for ramp modelling

On the same day, while Carol was in the other room for her business workshop with livelihood center participants, students from STI Computer School were doing the catwalk with Pia Gladys Perey, guest designer for the fashion parade on the 15th.

Sixty students came for the training.

Carol's 2nd Busy Day - January 13, 2010

Today is Carol's 2nd day of visit in Ormoc this year and her schedule was such that she had to be in four different time slots in one day:

At 8:00 in the morning she had to be at the Mayor's office for her courtesy call but because the Mayor was not yet around, she had to move on to her other schedule which was for an interview with POWER FM. From PowerFM she was back at the Mayor's office.

At about 9:00 in the morning she had to go back to OCCCI building to meet with the Livelihood Center Coordinators. In this meeting she was able to learn about the status of their centers, their effectivity and their needs.

After a quick lunch, she's up and on to another room at the OCCCI building for a workshop with Livelihood Center operators on Business in the Fashion industry.

Second day of Carol's visit to Ormoc Jan 2010

In 2008 Carol with Mel Rom made a courtesy call to the Mayor of Ormoc. This is her second courtesy call to the same Mayor

Carol left the Mayor some brochures....

Jean, Carol and Claire inside the Mayor's office

Carol was invited to POWER FM

... answering questions and discussing about the TCF project in Ormoc