Work it, Girl!: Discovering the Tailors of Undergarments in Pasig City

Back in 1913, to replace the corset, Mary Phelps Jacob designed a modern bra made out of two handkerchiefs and a ribbon sewed together. In 1914, she was granted a U.S. patent for her invention and called it, "Backless Brassiere." Moreover, the modern panty was introduced in the late 19th century.

In a scene from GMA's series, Maria Clara at Ibarra based on Jose Rizal's novel, Noli Me Tangere, a character from the present time played by Barbie Forteza, discovered that women back in the Spanish colonial period are not aware of bras and panties as they don't wear any. To cover their chests, they use a rectangular piece of garment called "tapapetso" which is derived from the Spanish term "tapa pecho." Additionally, they also wear several layers of clothing to cover the upper and lower body part.

Now, it makes us wonder, who makes the undergarments we use in our daily lives?

In the business hub of Metro Manila, Pasig City, there are women who craft undergarments day by day to make a living.

While the undergarments you wear give you comfort, these clothing items beneath your clothes provide a roof to some people over their head.

At Eighteen

For the 18 year old Christine Morcilla who has big dreams ahead of her, working right now is of top priority. She was a cheery, fun, young girl who excitedly shared her good experiences working at SO-EN for three months.

Christine works under the trim & inspect section of the company where they work to reach their quota to get evaluated, which is a common practice done to the employees of the company. Whenever she reaches her quota, she receives a minimum wage salary that suffices for her and her little sibling, who she is providing for school.

"Because I still don’t have funds for college, I worked part-time instead. Then, next year, I’ll start attending college. For now, I’m sending my sibling to school and saving money."

Luckily, she isn’t experiencing mistreatment in the workplace; in fact, her whole time at work so far has been nothing but good. She notes that the factory’s human resources department helps them whenever they have problems while providing them with complete benefits that every employee should have.

"It’s all good for me, because if we have concerns, HR immediately provides solutions for it."

Even at her young age, Christine continues to work hard not only for her future, but also for her family’s.

A Second Time Around

Leonora Abando, 48, is a single mother of three that decided to go back as a tailor in the factory of SO-EN after 22 years. For the past years, Leonora stayed at home as a commisioned tailor known by her peers, but due to the current demanding cost of living, she chose to become a factory worker again.

Despite Leonora’s mastery in sewing, she still found her current job to be difficult. She shared that the employees or tailors were divided into two, the ‘daily’ employees and the ‘piece rate’ employees, wherein she falls on the latter. The job of a ‘piece rate’ employee was more demanding as they were rated based on the number of underwear they can sew, but is more rewarding as they can get a raise when they surpass a certain number. However, the job is challenging for her.

"It is a grind work, so others do not last because they cannot do the large quota."

In that sense, Leonora stated that compared to when she was a tailor of the factory in 2002, the job was a lot easier back then. She mentioned that the ‘piece rate’ was not implemented before, so they have less work compared to the present. However, what made her choose to work again in the factory was because the salary is much higher compared to before, as well as the complete benefits that they are getting.

"The daily salary is okay because it reaches to 610 pesos, and for piece rate it surpasses 600 pesos, if you are quick on your work."

Leonora exclaimed that back then, work was more preferable for her as they had an easier and lighter job, but the salary is much better in the present. Although, she shared that the salary that she is getting is still not enough to accommodate her and her family’s daily needs, which made her work on the sideline.

"The salary is not enough that is why when I get home I do sideline jobs because it’s not enough for my children that are students."

Still, as a single mother, that does not stop her from continuing working in order to provide the needs of her family, and to be the pillar that her family can lean on.

Catalyst for a Better Life

The general treatment of the workers in SO-EN seems to be fair, as expressed by Christine and Leonora, as well as the other employees who shared their experience while working in the factory. The two workers had only good things to say about the factory, albeit the hardships the latter faces as a single mother.

Through all this, working for SO-EN has become a catalyst for Christine who dreams of finishing college and for Leonora who wants her children to have a better life. The two - along with hundreds and thousands of other women - work hard to provide good quality undergarments for every Filipino woman in the country.

So, everytime you wear these articles of clothing, don't think about the brand, think about the people behind who helped create them.