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Unskilled workers make a living from the rag trade in Bagong Barrio, a former slum in the city of Caloocan. Caloocan, the Philippines. 18/04/2009. In the 1980's, some enterprising individuals started the rag industry by recovering the excess material from clothes factories. They then made these into the familiar disposable, round rags that are now sold in the streets of the metropolis, shops, big factories and companies. The underground industry employs people with learning difficulties who can't find regular jobs, thus enabling them to earn a living. Today, Bagong Barrio is considered the largest supplier of rags. While only a few families are said to have the capability to provide the raw materials, each one has dependent families and individuals who make the rags and output around two tons of the product per week. Although there is no study as to how many are engaged and benefiting from this industry, or the extent of its distribution, interviews indicate that these are not only sold within Metro Manila but buyers come from near and distant provinces within Luzon, the largest island in the country. The industrial complexes of Subic get their supply from Bagong Barrio as well as the many factories in the export processing zones of Laguna, Cavite and Batangas provinces. Every Thursday and Monday morning, wholesale buyers from the northern province of Nueva Ecija come to get their stock for distribution in many more areas up north in Cagayan Valley.

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The Rags of Bagong Barrio

Unskilled workers make a living from the rag trade in Bagong Barrio, a former slum in the city of Caloocan. Caloocan, the Philippines. 18/04/2009.

by Estan Cabigas in Philippines on 18/04/2009

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