MADE in Cebu

By John A. Magsaysay
You see it, that burnished stamp found in international furniture shows, upscale
island resorts, and even in the bedrooms of celebrity power-couples, that, when it
comes to Filipino design, the watching world never doubts one that was made in
Cebu.
Its location at the archipelagos heartland makes it a crossroads for precious
regional resource, while its island mindset is never free from neighborly outlook,
that, certainly, the Queen City can live up to its name: one that can fill the world
with beauty, one armchair at a time.
The design world has what they call the Cebu look. Its characterized by a rich
use of natural materials, excellent craftsmanship, and astonishing creativity,
shared Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF)s Ruby Salutan, who proudly
showed us the grooves and joints of the thriving design industry. In a province home
to over 200 furniture manufacturers representing 40% of the total Philippine
furniture export, the CFIF serves as the main network of support for the countrys
furniture capital.
So, in the game of thrones at the countrys oldest city, just what does it take to live
up to the gilded repute?
MATERIAL
The Cebuano furniture boom finds it first spark during the latter 1940s, when an
enterprising American, John McGuire, collaborated with Maria Aboitiz, a local
matriarch who held a rattan workshop in her backyard. With McGuires technical
expertise and Aboitizs store of manpower and exotic cane, they revolutionized the
rattan trade with international patents and trademarks, that by the 60s, it was all
the rage in porch furniture abroad.
My father used to work in the second oldest rattan factory here in Cebu, Cebu
Rattan. I used to go with him when I was only nine years old and help out with small
jobs. And because youve lived with that environment, you get used to it, and fall in
love with it, explained Murillo Cebu founder Allan Murillo. In his Lower Inayawan
showroom and workshop in Cebu City, Murillo had still maintained the hands-on
processes in treating and assembling his heritage medium, mixing the humble cane
abundant in the area with industrial metals and innovative silhouettes.
In his 3,000 square meter Metamorfose showroom and factory in Brgy. Buaya, LapuLapu City, on the other hand, Dutch designer Hein Chrispijn champions the same
endemic Cebuano cane, this time, in what is called the arurog. The first collection
that I made here 24 years ago is still among the collections in my showroom. Its
made from arurog, which is the material that made me fall in love with the

Philippines in the first place, Chrispijn remarked, showing a statement wall in his
showroom clad in the rustic yet sleek material.
This first collection, which Chrispijn christened as the Manila Collection is a series of
multi-seater pieces fashioned of a slimmer type of rattan, resulting to a finer weave
like wicker but with a warmer color and texture. Now, to match the rising demand in
the outdoor furniture market, Chrispijn revealed, Weve maintained its shape, but
now, we use plastic material in the weave to make it more modern, but still native.
This plastic material is usually polyethylene (PE), the worlds most common type of
plastic polymer used in anything from shopping bags to soda bottles. Yet, the
ingenious folks in the furniture industry developed a certain type of extruded PE
material that can be woven just like its native counterpart, making their articles
friendlier when left with the elements.
One manufacturing facility, Lenbert Manufacturing in Canduman, Mandaue City, is
the oldest polyethylene manufacturer in the province, producing the material for
their own consumption and to supply the other furniture factories in the area. Yet,
other than this rather popular component, Lenbert decided to focus too in churning
out an underrepresented material, the PVC. I am proud to say that we are the only
ones here manufacturing PVC for furniture, remarked Lenberts 80-year-old
marketing manager and operations officer, Jim Castles.
The American has lived in Cebu for over three decades, painstakingly perfecting the
development of new materials and the machines that produce them, and when it
struck gold with polyvinyl chloride, the same material used to create utility pipes,
Lenbert found itself at the forefront of maximizing the mediums potential in
contemporary furniture. Its polyveen material greatly mimics the natural look of
wicker, rattan, metal, wood, or bamboo.
PVC lasts forever. The eco people dont really like that idea, but the beauty of it is
that its recyclable, shared Castles, while showing his million-dollar machines
rolling out black irrigation pipes fashioned off Lenberts recycled plastics, making
the company one of the top suppliers of these multipurpose tubes in the country as
well.
Making our own materials end up being cheaper, but we have afforded another
advantage, in which we are in control of the ingredients. We can make them as
strong as we want. When you source it from someone else, you take what you get.
But weve had our stuff tested, and weve either exceeded or matched all the other
material producers, Castles added, waxing proud of his companys self-made
machines that also cost a fraction of their internationally-made counterparts.
For Murillo, while bulk of his factorys yields is still made up of natural materials, it
wouldnt hurt to keep up with the times. You have to apply technology, as much as
possible, to be more competitive in terms of pricing and efficiency. You cant just use

all indigenous materials. If there are some industrial materials that you can use to
limit the use of resources or minimize the damage to the environment, then, all the
better.
MANUFACTURING
This pursuit for new technology goes from material use and into manufacturing as
well, and the Cebuano producers have seemed to fit it all to a tee.
One of its shining examples is Lenberts three plant production complex where the
companys materials and final products are fabricated, constructed, and assembled
in what would seem like a well-oiled production line.
Here at Plant One is where you see the guts of what a company like this makes,
Jim Castles exclaimed, while walking us through his expansive production area for
international orders. This takes a lot of work, a lot of people, and a lot of
machines, said Castle. At any given time, his Plant One, which also customizes
furniture for Cebus leading designers, has manpower amounting to 500 people.
Here, Castles and his crew also makes his companys patented Velvet Stone, a
fiber-reinforced concrete that can look like stone, marble, or tile, as well as its
meticulously powder-coated aluminum frames.
For Hein Crispijn, on the flipside, his manufacturing operations are maintained at a
manageable scale and pace to match his hands-on approach to production,
sustaining a good number of 200 workers, who, in turn spend 15 to 20 hours at a
time making each of their woven chairs or couches.
To make a good construction, I teach the people that it is better to spend an hour
more so that the quality is good. Every item is checked three times. We even pound
on the weave with a rubber to test their strength, Crispijn said while in his weaving
area, displaying some of the finest woven-work in the country, from traditional
sulhiya to newer, more geometric varieties. Pausing by his aluminum workshop,
Crispijn also noted, We have here the aluminum workshop, under my eyes, where I
can see if everything is going well.
Yet while some furniture manufacturing start-up may not have the luxury of an army
of workforce or an artillery of machinery, Allan Murillo proves that perfecting its
process, no matter which scale, is what it takes to ensure a quality product.
My factory is quite small and I have to be very careful with whatever I come up
with. In terms of design, most considerations come into the production side,
because thats my background, Murillo remarked, while touring us around his
backyard manufacturing site. My set-up, with regards to production, perhaps out of
necessity anyway, is that I dont produce unless it is ordered. By doing that, we
dont have to stock. We dont have to use unnecessary resources. We dont do
things without a corresponding need, which, I think, is how it should be, he said.

Yet, what it lacks in size, Murillo is quick to remind us, he makes up for with
expertise. We try to use craft, skills, and techniques on the Philippine side, which I
think is one of the best. This way, Ill have work, and so will the people in my area,
which are mostly my kababata. Its like a preservation of what we have, what we
can do, our natural materials and our techniques than can be placed side by side
with other brands in other countries, he said.
MARKET
In an export industry that is valued at almost US$280 million annually, or a
commanding 5.1 percent stake of total Philippine exports, it is easy to assume that
Cebu will always have its sights on the international market. Yet, with the global
economic hiccup of the late 2000s, demands for Cebuano furniture exports have
drastically dwindled down.
When the big crash came with the economy all over the world in 2008,
everybodys business here fell to about fifty percent, including us. Forty-seven
companies right here in Cebu went out of business, recalled Jim Castles. With a
large volume of their products then intended for the recession-hit United States,
Castles and his company had to quickly change tact, in an adapt-or-die attitude.
We just went really hard at the local market and now we average to up to two
containers a month of sales equivalent, just out of the local market. And in a very
profitable way, since we dont have to concern about shipping documents, customs
cost or tariff, which turned out to be more practical for us, shared Castles, walking
us through one of the recessions developments for the company, its local outlet
Rain or Shine All-Weather Furniture. In its multi-level showroom, which used to be
Lenberts export operations and logistics office, the company now sells its prized
furniture at retail for restaurant, caf, or bar owners, as well as new homeowners of
the real-estate boom.
In what was once a market dominated by Manila and Pampanga furniture
manufacturers, Cebu now finds itself a rookie player, the late bloomers of domestic
consumption. The Luzon manufacturers can focus on local demand because they
are so close to them, and Cebu had always been about exporting. But weve started
consistently catering to local demand since 2006, and, nowadays, the revenue we
get from exporting and domestic sales is about half and half, shared Allan Murillo.
Yet, if there was a local market that Cebuanos have always dominated, it is the
resort market. Hein Chrispijns Metamorfose supplied outdoor furniture among 90
percent of Mactans resorts, including Shangri-La, Waterfront, Crimson, and
Plantation Bay. Seventy-five percent of our sales are in the Philippines. Its our
biggest market at the moment. We have 7,000 islands, and most of the clients we
have are resorts, and we can make furniture in any number, shape, color, or size,
shared Chrispijn.

Yet, what earns Metamorfose its nods from the resort developers is the brands fiveyear warrantee, coming with every delivered piece. I like to sell something with no
worries, no headaches, Chrispijn said, adding that when you sit in one of ShangriLa Mactans four-year old pool lounges, they are bound to feel brand new. In ten
years time that weve been doing business, we never received any one complaint.
Not one, Chrispijn added.
But much more than resilience, it is foresight that becomes the Cebuanos driving
force when conquering markets, both international and local. For Lenberts Castles,
the economic slow-down forced them to speed up their production and
manufacturing capacities, giving way to new machines and technologies. Your
market determines everything. In order to combat the problems of the recession, we
have to find ways to produce the same looking product that last even better, for a
cheaper price. If you can make ten percent and still get a big volume, who cares? It
keeps a lot of people working, it keeps us active, and we still make profit, as long as
we control our other expenses. You still make money if you keep your profit down
low but with good volume, he reminded.
Murillo, on the other hand, had set his sights on a vibrant, emerging market. My
design direction now is to make it acceptable to the higher tastes of my audiences,
as well as the younger market as well. For the younger generation, they are more
expressive with what they like. Theyre more into intense colors, innovative
materials, and interesting shapes, Murillo enthused.
Judging from his multi-colored armchairs in cutting-edge silhouettes, perhaps the
self-made designer is on the right track. The good thing about it is, now, the
consumers are more educated. They used to be all about imported stuff, but, after
seeing Cebuano furniture making it big abroad, they started appreciating. So, now, I
think, is the best time to capitalize on this, he said.
And while other furniture manufacturers are grousing over painful sales returns
globally, Chrispijns Metamorfose is enjoying an increasingly upward trajectory,
largely due to his clever brand positioning. Every year, we grow. Last year 24%.
This year, I guess well grow more. I feel that we can grow 50% this year. That is my
target. We have good project currently underway that in the first two months, we
could even make the same records we did last year the whole year. Maybe, noted
Chrispijn.
Sensing the continuous rise of local demand, Chrispijn sets his sights in bringing his
wares to retail outlets in malls or even supermarket chains. I feel butterflies in my
tummy, and I think its a sign of a really good business. Its the same when you
meet a beautiful girl and you feel the butterflies. Most of the time, its a good
combination, he said with a hearty laugh. Whether its sales talk or sheer business
honesty, Hein Chrispijns Metamorfose is certainly bracing for a positive paradigm
shift.

MARK
And finally, when all has been drawn and done in the growingly fickle design world,
how do we intend to see these Cebu brands leaving their mark?
Furniture is all about design, not art. Theyre produced with a purpose in mind.
Because of the changing needs of the people, I adjust my designs to suit them.
People are living in smaller spaces, use less resources, being more green and ecofriendly, so I try to use these concepts in my design, Allan Murillo quipped of a
focus on timeless function rather than timely fashion.
Jim Castles also echoes this sentiment, saying: Trends change all the time. I think,
rather than achieving an award for some really mysterious looking design that you
would win an award for but only one or two people would buy because the price is
so high, I think thats not happening anymore. Were going to go more for functional
design. You can get a nice design but should also be functional. It should work for
the people and their homes.
While for Hein Chrispijn, its all about maintaining the same dedication and diligence
he had since day one. I work seven days a week. My work is my hobby, my hobby
is my work. Im nearly 64, and Im never going to stop, he said. My friend Freddie
Heineken, of Heineken Beer, once told me, your company may turn out to be bigger
than mine, because Heineken sounds smaller than Hein, he added. And while
Heins brand may not be bigger than the other well-imported Dutch brand, he can
rest easy knowing that his pieces can be seen in lounges where people can enjoy
the worlds most popular brew.
Yet, above all else, in a land that has given a lot and continues to nurture these
furniture manufacturers growth and development, for all of them, its as simple as
keeping the pride and passion alive. There is this intention in whatever I do, I try
not to make it seem like it came from a different source, like its European. We are
one of the first brands who put our local identity in our labels. I put Cebu. I want
people to know that its made in this side of the globe. This is me proud of our work,
and proud of our roots, said Murillo.
Catch these Cebuano furniture manufacturers and designers as they display their
newest collections at the Philippine International Furniture Show from March 13-16,
2015 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Grounds, Pasay City.