educatonal trip at NOAH

The Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation class with Dr. Tan.

Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage, as an industry, did not start big. It has its humble beginning. A story about the beginning of NOAH can be read below:

The Inspiring Story of Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage (NOAH)

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”


A series of business setbacks hit the Yee family between 1984 to 1986. Two of their Dumaguete City establishments, a department store and a restaurant were both losing money and all of their efforts to revive them resulted in failure. Didi, as Mrs. Yee is popularly known, recalls the discouragement which she and her husband fell victim to.


It was at about this point that a man came to her asking for a job. He was a displaced worker from a local stonecraft venture which had just closed shop. He had been out of work for a long time and was desperate for something to do. More to help the fellow than anything else, Didi tried out what he could do.


What came out of the experiment was a little slab of polished stone on which was inscribed in india ink a passage from II Kings 3:17 “For thus says the Lord. Though you will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley shall be filled with water so that you, your cattle, and your other animals may drink.”




The significance of that verse did not come upon Didi until much later. Now she can see how everything started from that little piece. She began manufacturing more of those stone tablets inscribed with inspirational verses from the Bible. The product caught the imagination of some friends who bought them to give away as gifts or as unubiquitous inspirational décor for their own homes or offices.


The stonecraft factory went into full operation in 1989, coinciding with the period when the Department of Trade and Industry and the Negros Oriental Centennial Commission were working hand in hand to promote local handicraft and industry in the province by getting stone tablets with inspirational verses inscribed in india ink led to the production of more stonecraft items like jewelry boxes, costume jewelry, wall decoration, coasters, mirror frames and picture frames, paper weights, and beautiful chests and furniture in-laid with stone. As of 1991, barely five years from the time the venture started, NOAH has 140 skilled and semi-skilled workers in its factory at Bacong, a wider range of stonecraft product lines, and a distribution network including the export market.


Each item produced by NOAH is made by hand with the patience native to the gentle Bacong folk. To Romulo and Didi Yee every piece crafted by their people at NOAH stands for an act of faith. It is the articulation of God’s promise which they had stumbled upon when bereft of human wisdom they had emptied themselves of pride and humbly put themselves in the hands of God. Each beautiful item work is the fulfillment of that wonderful promise in the II Kings, 3:17: “You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley shall be filled with water so that you, your cattle, and your other animals may drink.”


The light of that faith shines in every piece crafted at NOAH, the Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage.

Indeed inspiring, right? You can actually visit NOAH's site at http://www.noahphil.com. You will be amazed with their products just as we were astonished during our educational trip.

Here are some of the photos we have during our visit at NOAH:

The Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage building.

The enthusiastic and the curious members of the Entrep class.


The detailed process called "brassing".


The almost-a-million-worth table.


The steps in product development.

Mrs. Divinagracia Yee, the manager of NOAH, gave some insights in keeping the business alive.



Some of the amazing products of NOAH:

Now, the most awaited moment (lol)- the members of the class having their lunch.

Since I will not be studying anymore this 2nd semester, I'll surely miss the company of this class.