Djembe percussionists Japhet and Christopher Pagaling had to think of new ways to earn a living in 2021 after the pandemic momentarily turned live events into a goner. Amidst adversity, the brothers from Bukidnon architected Mugna Leather Arts in a journey of exploration, community development, and “self-discovery.”
THE CREATION OF MUGNA
The Covid-19 pandemic’s gargantuan impact on industries was a revelation. Many forms of livelihood were coerced to either integrate unfamiliar strategies for survival, or swallow the bitter pill and move on totally from once thriving businesses.
Japs, 29, and Chris, 28, are a living testimony.
“We were instrumentalists po before, we play the djembe drums. Hina-hire kami sa mga 5-star hotels sa Bukidnon, and nakapunta na rin kami ng Boracay,” said Japs, who, like his younger brother, used to be a percussionist who made a living out of invitations to perform at live events and parties.
“Sa mga yacht (parties), kami yung nagwe-welcome sa mga bisita,” he added.
Because these types of festivities were an obvious casualty of the pandemic’s urgency for social distancing, Japs and Chris, like any other Filipino stuck at home, looked for crafty ways to earn income from the resources available to them.
In their search, they stumbled upon the art of leather making and craftsmanship.
It was a humble beginning, to say the least, as the Pagaling brothers did not possess a deep background on leather arts, nor did they undergo any formal training. They only had the benefit of the urgency to innovate, the guts to explore an unfamiliar territory, and an artistic uncle they looked up to and learned from by “watching him making bags, buying from ukay-ukay and selling them.”
“We do not have proper training po, but we have the internet. It is a superpower sa kamay po to cultivate your talent, to discover new things,” the Bukidnon native told GMA Regional TV News.
They started looking for potential clients through the internet, utilizing an already proven-and-tested platform for businesses that was conveniently saturated by fellow online sellers at a time when almost everything went digital.
Luckily for Japs and Chris, they were one of the firsts to penetrate Bukidnon’s budding leather industry.
“Hindi namin akalain na ganito pala yung market sir, na meron pala talagang ganitong need (for leather products). During the pandemic, we tried to penetrate the online market, nag-start kami with zero money (and knowledge). Yung Facebook nagbigay ng 200 ad credits and yun, nakapag-advertise kami. May nag-order and nagtuloy tuloy na,” shared the older Pagaling.
BUILDING COMMUNITIES THROUGH MUGNA
In just three years, Mugna Leather Arts has already expanded with physical shops in Cagayan de Oro (SM Downtown) and Aklan (D’Mall, Boracay).
More significantly, the Pagaling brothers have led a transformative grassroots initiative in Bukidnon, Mugna’s home base, that has provided livelihood for their community.
“We have helped the community sa Brgy. Violeta in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. Ngayon meron na kaming 30 crafters na gumagawa ng ganito. Very basic pero nag-learn na rin kami sa aming mga sarili. We give our crafters the freedom to create ano ang gusto nilang i-create na design,” Japs proudly said.
In fact, buying a Mugna product reveals this close-knit culture that lives and thrives amongst their craftspeople. Strips of paper with individual names written on them are clipped to each item for sale, denoting who among their 30 crafters worked on it. This is so they could easily identify who to credit with every sale Mugna makes.
“If you look at our bags, paisa-isa lang yung design. So if you buy one from us, only you have that design. One of one. Yung designs namin, nagsisimula rin sa kung ano ang gusto ng client and we would produce that.”
Asked about their biggest learning from this community-based venture, Japs noted that it’s all about the leap of faith.
“You have to be brave. Wag kang matakot mag-fail kasi hindi mo malalaman na sa pag-try mo, andun na pala yung success. We all have talents, and we have the opportunity to cultivate it and make it grow,” he shared.
“And if you master your craft, tao na talaga ang lalapit sa iyo.”
