The women behind the candles

PHOTOS BY IME SORNITO

EVERY candle lit in a cemetery or on a home altar during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day carries a story. Behind these small flames are the hands of women who have spent more than two decades working to provide for their families.

Inside the compound of St. Clement’s Church in Barangay Bantud, La Paz, Iloilo City, eight women make different kinds of candles at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Multi-Purpose Cooperative. In this modest factory, their work provides more than light for prayers. It also brings hope and a source of livelihood to their respective households.

For more than 26 years, the cooperative, operating under the supervision of St. Clement’s Church, has provided livelihood opportunities for mothers, particularly those who have limited access to employment.

The members manually produce novena candles, perdon candles, vigil candles, and other varieties supplied to churches, including St. Clement’s Church, Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, San Agustin Church, San Jose Placer Parish Church, and the Trappist Monastery in Jordan, Guimaras.

They also make decorative candles, scented candles, and glass-mold candles, which are available to the public, especially during Undas. These products can be purchased outside St. Clement’s Church every Wednesday and Sunday or directly from the factory.

Behind every candle, however, is a story of perseverance, sacrifice, and hope.

A candle as a source of livelihood

Regina Barreto, 58, of Barangay Magsaysay in La Paz, joined the candle factory when her youngest child was only two to three years old. Today, her child is already 30, while Barreto has spent 26 years making candles.

She learned the craft through training provided by the church. Starting out was not easy, as the work required her to melt wax over an open flame before pouring it into molds to form candles.

Despite the challenges, the job became an important source of income for her family.

“It really helped because I was able to send my child to school, even with our small income,” Barreto said.

According to her, the project was established to help mothers and indigent families earn a living, particularly those who need to provide for their households while caring for their children.

The women do not receive a fixed daily wage. Instead, their earnings depend on the number of candles they produce, with their respective shares or percentages paid every 15th and last day of the month.

For Barreto, even a modest income makes a difference in meeting her family’s daily needs.

Angela Marbebe, 64, of Jordan, Guimaras, shares a similar experience. She has also spent 26 years making candles.

As a single parent who raised six children after her husband died when her youngest child was only six years old, Marbebe relied on the job to help support her family.

“It really helped us because I became a solo parent to our six children. My husband died when my youngest was only six years old,” she said.

For Marbebe, one advantage of the job is its flexible working arrangement. Without a strict time-in schedule, the women can balance their work with their responsibilities at home.

More than just earnings

Rebecca Nortega Gelarzo, 64, of Barangay Rizal in La Paz, and Melindi Marceo, 63, of Barangay Nabitasan in the same district, have also spent 26 years making candles.

Gelarzo expressed her gratitude to the church for giving them the opportunity to learn a new skill and earn their own income.

“We are very grateful to the church and the priest who trained us to make candles. This was established so mothers could earn an income, even if it is only a small amount,” she said.

Marceo said her earnings also helped her send her children to school and see them through graduation.

Now that they are growing older, the work has also become a way for the women to remain active and occupied while continuing to earn a little money.

“I was able to send my child to school until graduation. What else would I do at home? This has become something we enjoy, especially now that we are getting older,” Marceo said.

The cooperative’s resilience was tested in November 2021, when a fire razed its factory, forcing operations to stop temporarily for several weeks.

However, the women refused to let the setback end their livelihood. Through perseverance and collective effort, they rebuilt the factory using a combination of materials and resumed candle production.

Every Undas, as families gather in cemeteries to light candles in remembrance of their departed loved ones, the stories of these eight women continue to shine.

In their hands, candles represent more than faith and remembrance. They are also symbols of hope, perseverance, and the enduring love of mothers who continue to work so their families can have a brighter future./PN