ILOILO City – Iloilo’s business community is set to deliver its biggest Christmas-season livelihood boost to Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs), with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)–Iloilo projecting at least ₱2.5 million in revenue from its annual Parol Project — a growing public-private initiative that has quietly become one of the city’s most reliable community support programs.
Now on its fifth year, the project has evolved from a simple holiday display into a major economic opportunity for PDLs at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) prison facility in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district here who will receive an estimated ₱1.5 million from this year’s proceeds alone.
“Ang parol costs ₱2,500. Ang ma-generate namon nga revenue is ₱2.5 million. Ang naga-kadto na sa PDL is ₱1.5 million gid,” said PCCI Iloilo Parol Project chairman Felix Tiu, adding that the initiative’s rapid expansion reflects strong private-sector support.
Under his three-year leadership, the chamber has consistently secured more than 1,000 parol sponsorships annually.
Tiu said the project’s structure ensures that PDLs earn directly from their labor.
“They have piecework. You can make two parols in a day — if your labor rate is ₱300, you get ₱600 a day. Dako ang ila nga kita. Many of them are working, around 40 to 50, because we are soliciting more than a thousand every year.”
A Three-Way Partnership Lighting Up Iloilo
The Parol Project is jointly implemented by PCCI and the Iloilo City Government:
* PCCI manages solicitation, design, and production.
* PDLs of BJMP-Ungka craft the parols.
* City Government installs wiring and provides bulbs for the displays along major roads.
“This parol project is a collaboration. The PDLs are the ones making the parols for their benefit. The role of the city government is to put up the wires on the streetlights and provide the bulbs,” Tiu explained.
Supports Disaster Response Through PCCI Cares
All project earnings are placed under PCCI Cares, the chamber’s fund for disaster response, which has supported relief operations not only in Iloilo but also in areas such as Bogo, Cebu following major earthquakes.
“All the proceeds that we gain for this project are transferred to PCCI Cares. This is where we get funding when there are floods, earthquakes, typhoons, or fires. We help especially in Iloilo,” Tiu said.
Christmas Powered by Private Goodwill
Tiu emphasized that the initiative allows Iloilo City to shine during the holidays without excessive government spending.
“We expect to beautify the city during the Christmas season while helping the PDLs. Other cities spend from government coffers. Here, the decorations come from local businesses that want to help. The city government only spends for wires, installation, and bulbs,” he said.
Call for More Sponsors
Tiu urged businesses to continue supporting the project, saying its benefits are both economic and social.
“We are encouraging all the businessmen in Iloilo to help sponsor a parol. By sponsoring one, you help the PDLs of BJMP Ungka. I hope that this project will continue even if I will no longer be the chairman of PCCI,” he said.
More than a holiday tradition, the initiative has become a model of how the private sector can meaningfully contribute to both rehabilitation and community resilience — one hand-crafted parol at a time./PN
