46 Igting and Tabiola produce at 500 pieces per day. The volume that they can produce depends on the complexity of the design of the product. With the pandemic, Igting found it difficult to reach targets because their regular and biggest clients ceased operations. According to Wennie: Our biggest client temporarily closed. We are really struggling now. This client usually gets huge contracts and farms out to Igting the sewing of giveaway bags for [name of pharmaceutical company withheld]. For now, this client ceased operations. Meanwhile with our second regular client, there are potential job orders, but they could not reach us because there are no personnel to take out the materials from their stockroom. The owners of the firm do not yet allow their personnel to resume their duty and come to Bulacan … In one snap, life changed, as if in a dream. The suspension of work at Igting was hard for all the key informants because their daily earnings were a major, if not the only, source of income for their households. For Bea, her income generated with Igting was her bread and butter, sustaining her household of twelve. For Lea, her income at Igting was also a huge help to her husband. Wennie articulated the importance of her work at Igting and her worries with the loss of her only income: Losing income for a month was difficult for me as a mother who still has two children to support. My youngest is still a student and the other also lost his job as a teacher. My husband is already a senior citizen and is jobless … I depend on it [Igting] 110% for our daily needs. When I lost that income, I was too dismayed. I said, “How will this be? I cannot just keep on asking for help from my other children who also have their own families to feed.” Strategies of Igting to cope with the crisis “I observed that our members became very determined and hardworking” After a month of halting operations, CAMP Asia saw the formidable challenges that Igting faced. By way of resuming operations, CAMP Asia approached Igting to produce 100,000 face masks to be given as donations to various non-government organizations (NGOs). This show of support by CAMP Asia was deeply appreciated

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