CITY of San Fernando, Pampanga—Lanterns made in this capital city north of Manila are selling like hot cakes, declared famous lantern maker and designer Rolando S. Quiambao.
Quiambao said orders both from retail and local government units nationwide and export are pouring in.
Retails orders from malls, commercial establishments, hotels, restaurants, and other outlets together with the local government units mostly from the Metro Manila, national government offices and other buyers from other parts of the country are keeping them busy.
This Christmas, the main thoroughfares, highways and streets of Metro Manila and nearby cities and towns will be dressed in holiday’s style of Pampanga lanterns, angels, and other decorative materials with dancing multi-color lights.
Asked about the total amount, the award-winning lantern maker smiled and disclosed that last year he sold about 10,000 pieces of lanterns with different sizes, colors, shapes and forms for different prices.
Lantern making, a year round business for Quiambao, usually starts in June when he begins to showcase the new samples of the year to both local and foreign buyers.
“We have new products every two years, depending on the mood of time and clients’ need,” he said.
His shop is overflowing with ready-to-deliver stocks of different sizes and multi-colored Christmas decorations, including giant lanterns and angels, to nearby cities and towns.
His shop in barangay Del Pilar, was declared a tourist spot with guests frequently requesting audience with the master lantern maker.
They include ambassadors, consuls, students from top universities, and tourist operators among others.
According to the former overseas contract worker in Saudi Arabia, the San Fernando lanterns sell well because of their unique features that no other makers can imitate until now.
”Our products are made of flattened capis, plastic vinyl, paper, and fiber glass with ordinary bulbs and sometimes with lights emitting Dionne.
The prices range from P1,000 to P15,000, depending on the needs of the customers.
The husband and wife tandem, under the trade name ROLREN which stand for Rolando S. Quiambao and Renita A. Quiambao, started the business with a few thousand pesos until they were able to grow after few years of hard work, strong commitment to their clients, and honesty especially when it involves down payments or advance deposits.
Renita serves as treasurer and purchaser of materials while Roland deals with the clients and employees who now total 70 persons, excluding five subcontractors.
A fourth generation of lantern makers who learned the rudiments of the art from Mario Datu of barangay Del Pilar after he was laid off as musician from Saudi Arabia in 1983, Quiambao started as a serious helper to Datu until he learned the craft and started his own production with the help of his wife in barangay Del Pilar in 1986.