If you want to develop your skills in the arts and enhance your creativity, what would you do? You would most probably enroll in a course in arts and crafts in one of the better schools around Metro Manila. But that was not exactly what Elizabeth Villarin Sunico did. She instead took up gifts, toys and houseware (GTH) at the TWC to get her creative juices flowing.

Before TWC
Beth to friends, Ms. Sunico was born to a middle class family on April 4, 1952. Her father was a revenue district officer of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) while her mother was a simple housewife. Both of her parents are now deceased.

She pursued a master’s degree in business management at De La Salle University in Manila. But she did not finish her degree as she stopped after one year of study.

She has been separated from her husband for the past 17 years. Before their separation, she was a preschool teacher who had her own preschool. Then, when she separated from her husband, her career in preschool ended because the preschool that she owned and taught in was at her husband’s house.

Their marriage produced three children. Two of them are still living with her. Her present household also includes her brother.

After her preschool career, she started working as a broker of health plans, handling corporate accounts. Until now, in fact, she is part of a brokerage and earns on a commission basis.

While working as a broker, she also went into crafts making, particularly beadwork. Crafts making then was simply a hobby for her. In other words, before training at TWC, she already had some skills in crafts making. But this did not stop her from taking a crafts making course at TWC. This is because, at that time, she did not know how to fully express her creativity. She decided to enhance her then limited skills and creativity in the arts by taking a course in crafts making.

So it was that she started looking for training institutes that offered courses in crafts making and skills development. At this point, an information from a friend in her religious community became helpful. This friend, who is a member of the Victory Christian Fellowship, told her that there is a course in crafts making being offered by TWC. Right away, she wanted to enroll at TWC for the following reasons: (1) to learn crafts making, (2) to express her talent and artistic inclinations, and (3) to find a way of providing employment to other people in something she is passionate about.

That was a Sunday. The following day saw her going to TESDA to inquire about TWC’s courses in crafts making.

The staff of TESDA interviewed her. However, there was one problem for Ms. Sunico: she was way past the age for enrollment. TWC students are mostly in their early 20s, while she was already 52 years old when she applied to take a TWC course. But instead of getting frustrated, she became even more insistent, telling the interviewers she wants to learn so she can develop her skills and enhance her creativity in the arts, go into the crafts business, and help other people by providing them employment. This response helped her get into the TWC course of her choice, which was gifts, toys and houseware (GTH).

Another problem she had, which was financial support for her TWC training, was also solved. Mr. and Mrs. Gerardo Itulid, who are exporters of ceramic products, paid for her training, including providing her with a daily allowance. They even provided her with capital to start her own business after finishing her course at TWC.

During TWC
Ms. Sunico took the course in gifts, toys and houseware at TWC for six months, ending in November 2004. She specialized in decorative ceramics. She also developed her skills in finishing (wood, boxes, walls), fiberglass molding, photo stenciling, silk screening, and welding. She particularly loved her training in finishing and enjoyed her training in gift-box making.

At the end of her training last November, she and her classmates were given by Mr. Mike Sibal, their teacher, two options: (1) to set up their own business, or (2) to seek employment in a company. She decided to take the first option. In other words, her TWC course led Ms. Sunico to start her own business and make her own products using the skills she learned and developed at TWC.

After TWC
According to Ms. Sunico, the course she took at TWC has been very useful. Through it, she learned to paint and mix colors, among other skills, and her creativity was enhanced.

She was only good in typing, stenography, beadwork, and flower arrangement before training at TWC. Today, however, she can express her creativity in many other ways.

Making it more fulfilling is the fact that people appreciate her creativity. This has given her more confidence in her crafts making.

Her fulfillment is manifested in Petros Backyard Industry, the business she put up after finishing her TWC course in November 2004. She employed two artists to paint her products. Meanwhile, one of her classmates, Lyn Barazon, joined her in the business and worked as molder for some time.

Just a week after finishing her TWC course, Ms. Sunico’s business enterprise was already making decorative ceramics, gift boxes, wedding giveaways, and other products for the 2004 Christmas season. She initially made the products at the laundry area of her home.

Armed with her newly made products, she accepted the invitation to join the Christ Commission Fellowship bazaar at the back of SM Megamall in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was at that bazaar that she first successfully marketed her products, earning P1,000 in one day.

After the bazaar, she sold to friends her products, which she promoted during get-togethers. That was the Christmas season of 2004. She sold many of her products such that about a month after starting Petros Backyard Industry, she has recovered her expenses in putting up her own business.

Moreover, her brokerage job has not been affected by her new enterprise. This is because she works in her own time and only has to maintain her accounts as a broker, and she can undertake any other enterprise she wishes to pursue.

No wonder, she has several plans for the future. These plans include the following:

1. Passing on to others the technology she learned at TWC. In fact, some organizations have been asking her to teach their members the crafts she learned at TWC.
   
2. Going into the export business. She has established contact with the All-American Women’s Club. That contact was made during a World Trade Center bazaar.
   
3. Developing crafts using indigenous materials and creating Philippine-made designs. Through this, she hopes Filipinos will become known around the world for their skills and creativity in crafts making.

Ms. Sunico would also like to contribute her share to TWC as one of its successful graduates. She is willing to give talks hopefully to encourage students to maximize their potentials at TWC, because, just like her, the skills learned at TWC could help others to set up their own business. According to her, she would advice TWC students “to have teachable hearts… decide what they really want to do, and decide to do it and finish it.”

She would also like to market or promote TWC courses. In her own words, “we should not stop learning because learning is a continuous process.” This is embodied by Ms. Sunico, who, despite her age, insisted on taking up a course at TWC.

Fortunately for her, she had a caring and encouraging family and the financial support of friends. These and her strong motivation and industriousness enabled her to finish her TWC course and to become what she is now – a creative businesswoman on the road to achieving her dreams.