OFW dressmaking students impressively showcased their technical skills and creative abilities as they proudly presented their inaugural project, a balloon skirt, during their third challenging training exercise on July 18, 2025, at the Majestic Hotel in Bahrain, where the uniqueness of the outfit testified to the students’ perseverance and growing mastery of fashion design and creation.
Having become proficient in the skirt expose technique, the participants progressed to pattern making and cutting square pants, a more complicated garment design. The exercise highlighted not only the technological skill of the future designers but also their own personal creative interpretation of current trends.
The training is the 6th batch of the Pinay Ikaw Na (PIN) dressmaking training program, in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Migrant Workers Office (MWO).
Among the motivating trainees of the training is Cristina Coscolluela, a 58-year-old who hails from Miag-aon, Ilo-ilo. She currently stays in Bahrain with her daughter and youngest son.
Cristina’s involvement in the training was strongly supported by her family. Her daughter, Cherry, is seeing her potential for the program deliberately made an effort to buy fabric and a sewing machine and actively facilitated Cristina’s access to and involvement in the ability-enhancing opportunity.
The life-changing influence of family support is powerfully demonstrated in Cristina’s narrative: her daughter’s material investment of necessary materials, added to apparent moral support, was instrumental in facilitating her mother’s understanding of this opportunity for enabling herself and learning useful new skills.
Hailing from Iriga, Bicol, 49-year-old Lory Nacario Agustin truly embodies the profound spirit of volunteerism, seamlessly balancing her professional life in a property management company with an invaluable dedication as a volunteer teacher. Displaying great patience and endless dedication, she painstakingly addresses questions of aspiring learners, sharing sagely lessons and wisdom to dozens of trainees. Her pioneering work is driven by a steadfast faith in paying it forward, a principle she espouses passionately: “I want to pay back, I learned free the program, so I am also willing to devote part of my time to serve the people who are willing to learn.” Lory’s giving up not only blesses others but also models a paradigm of how community-based benefit can be transposed from personal appreciation.
The 7- Friday training course, as indicated by dressmaking trainor, Epifanica Flores Fuyoc, is designed to embrace students with progressive learning. Following the introductory third week, which is devoted to theory of dressmaking then basic pattern making and cutting, the course advances towards the making of various simple dresses. The last learning phase will be the designing and making of their graduation gowns, a Filipiniana or a Maria Clara traditional fashion gown, as evidence that they are masters in learning the skill sets as they go through.
Meanwhile, PIN President Dinah Sta. Ana encouraged Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to remit their annual OWWA membership fee as a priority. Ms. Sta. Ana mentioned the significance of having an active membership with OWWA. For her, it makes OFWs qualified to avail of welfare benefits such as skills training, legal aid, medical services, and other incentives from the organization. Her appeal is that of broader Philippine government efforts to provide OFWs access to the favorable support infrastructure in foreign labor.
OWWA Welfare Officer Juvilyn Anns Gumabay, together with OWWA personnel Arnel Estrella, was present during the session to extend support to the trainees. Their attendance highlighted OWWA’s ongoing commitment to the welfare and professional development of overseas Filipino workers. Also present was Ms. Sharlyn T. Vergara, an employee of Migrant Wprkers Office (MWO) Manama, who served as one of the assistant teachers during the session. Her involvement further emphasized the collaborative efforts between government agencies in empowering and uplifting Filipino workers abroad.
