Category Archives: Industries

The Giant Butaka (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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Giant Butaka

After our visit to the Ilagan Japanese Tunnel, we made a stopover, for supplies, at a pretty Bonifacio Park in Ilagan City.  Here, it brought me face to face with the pride of Isabela and Ilagan’s winning bid for Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest armchair, locally known as butaka. The butaka is a chair with a long arm rest which is not used for the arms but for the legs.

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The “lazy chair” of rich families, during Spanish era, it was used by hacienderos as their resting chair after a busy day of roaming around their lands and rice fields.  Also known as the “little hospital,” pregnant women also gave birth to their newborn child on a butaka, with their legs comforted by its long armrests.

The giant butaka, christened as the “Butaka ni Goliath,” measured 11.4 ft. high, 20.8 ft. long, 9.7 ft. wide and weighed 2,368 kgs.  It was made from a total of 1,184.48 board ft. of seasoned, first-class narra with a seat made with 1,740 ft. of interwoven 1-in. diameter rattan.  During my visit, the wood varnish has now faded and the rattan weave was in dire need of repair or replacement.

Unveiled for public viewing last April 23, 2003 (in time for Isabela’s 147th founding anniversary on May 11) at the Provincial Capitol’s Rizal Park, it was constructed by 12 to 50 skilled craftsmen of Brgy. Alinguigan II (touted to be the “furniture capital” of the Cagayan Valley, about 95% of Alinguigan residents being furniture makers) in 29 days, working on it daily, even on weekends, from 2 to 10 PM.

The project, to promote Isabela’s furniture industry, reportedly cost about PhP175,000 and, for the manufacture of the giant butaka, the big furniture entrepreneurs in the village contributed at least PhP500 each while small ones chipped in PhP200 each. The rest of the expenses were shouldered by the municipal government, led by Mayor Delfinito Albano.

The author with the giant butaka in the background

Initially, the barangay thought of making a big rocking chair but the Mayor Albano suggested to just make an armchair.  A rocking chair is also locally called a butaka. The rocking chair only evolved from the early butaka early Ilagueños crafted about a century ago. During assembly, at least 15 Ilagueños were needed to carry the chair’s feet and arms.  A boost to the local tourism industry, it gave tourists another reason to visit and explore this vast Cagayan Valley province.

Historical plaque

Giant Butaka: Ilagan Rotunda (the junction going to Cagayan), Bonifacio Park, Brgy. Alinguigan, Maharlika Highway (beside Bonifacio Park), City of Ilagan, Isabela.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City.

“Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit (Manila)

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Manlilikha ng Bayan Hall (National Living Treasure) Exhibit

The “Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit, opened last June 1, 2016, features the work and lives of 13 people awarded, since 1993, the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures Award  (institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355 in April 1992) in recognition of their contribution and preservation of culture.

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A Manlilikha ng Bayan is defined as a citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of technical and artistic competence.

The 13 awardees are:

  • Ginaw Bilog (1993) – a Hanunuo Mangyan poet from Mansalay, Mindoro who took it upon himself to continually keep scores of ambahan (a poetic literary form composed of seven-syllable lines used to convey messages through metaphors and images) poetry recorded, not only on bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed on to him by friends.
  • Masino Intaray (1993) – a gifted Pala’wan poet, musician and bard artist from Brookes Point, Palawan who is an outstanding master of the basal (a gong music ensemble), kulilal (a highly lyrical poem expressing passionate love) and bagit (a strictly instrumental music depicting the rhythms, movements and sounds of nature, birds, monkeys, snakes, chirping of insects, rustling of leaves, the elements and the like)
  • Samaon Sulaiman (1993) – a Maguindanao musician from Mama sa Pano, Maguindanao who achieved the highest level of excellence in the art of kutyapi (a two-stringed plucked lute) playing. His extensive repertoire of dinaladay, linapu, minuna, binalig, and other forms and styles, interpreted with refinement and sensitivity, fully demonstrate and creative and expressive possibilities of his instrument.
  • Lang Dulay (1998) – a traditional t’nalak textile weaver from T’boli, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, who knows a hundred designs, including the bulinglangit (clouds), the bankiring (hair bangs), and the kabangi (butterfly), each one special for the stories it tells. Using red and black dyes, she spins her stories with grace and her textiles reflect the wisdom and the visions of her people.
  • Salinta Monon(1998) – a Tagabawa Bagobo textile weaver from Bansalan, Davao del Sur, who built a solid reputation for the quality of her work and the intricacies of her designs. Of the many designs she weaves, her favorite is the binuwaya (crocodile), which is one of the hardest to make.
  • Alonzo Saclag (2000) – a Kalinga master of dance and the performing arts from Lubuagan, Kalinga, who has made it his mission to create and nurture a greater consciousness and appreciation of Kalinga culture, among the Kalinga themselves and beyond their borders. He has also endeavored to revive the dying craft of gangsa (Kalinga gong) making.
  • Federico Caballero (2000) – a Sulod-Bukidnon epic chanter from Calinog, Iloilo who ceaselessly work for the documentation of the oral literature, particularly the ten epics of his people, rendered in a language that, although related to Kiniray-a, is no longer spoken. Together with scholars, artists, and advocates of culture, he painstakingly pieces together the elements of this oral tradition nearly lost.
  • Uwang Ahadas (2000) – a Yakan musician from Lamitan City, Basilan skilled in playing the kwintangan kayu (an instrument consisting of five wooden logs hung horizontally, from the shortest to the longest, with the shortest being nearest the ground),  agung and gabbang (a bamboo xylophone).
  • Darhata Sawabi (2004) – a Tausug textile weaver from Parang, Sulu proficient in making the pis syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the Tausug of Jolo, as well as used to adorn native attire, bags, and other accessories.
  • Eduardo Mutuc(2004) a Kapampangan metalsmith from Apalit, Pampanga who dedicated his life to creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas are in churches and private collections. A number of these works are quite large, some exceeding forty feet, while some are very small and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship.
  • Haja Amina Appi (2004) a Sama mat weaver from Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi who is recognized as the master mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community of Ungos Matata. Her colorful mats with their complex geometric patterns exhibit her precise sense of design, proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to color. Her unique multi-colored mats are protected by a plain white outer mat that serves as the mat’s backing. Her functional and artistic creations take up to three months to make.
  • Magdalena Gamayo (2012) – an Ilocano textile weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte who exemplifies the best of Filipino abel weaving tradition in Ilocos. Magdalena prefers to work with linen because it is obedient to the master weaver’s touch. She uses a loom with a sturdy wooden frame with three-foot pedals with wide horizontal beams to support the warp and an even longer lengthwise frame to keep the threads in place.
  • Teofilo Garcia (2012) – also called Apu Pilo, this Ilocano from San Quintin, Abra makes tabungaw (gourd casque), a unique, functional and elegant, all-weather headpiece that shields one from the rain and the sun.  The native gourd is hollowed out, polished, and varnished to a bright orange sheen to improve its weather resistance. The inside is lined with finely woven rattan matting, and the brim sports a subtle bamboo weave for accent.

Kwintangan kayu of Uwang Ahadas

This exhibition has been made possible through a partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the State tasked with the administration and implementation of the award, and the Office of the Senator Loren Legarda.

Eduardo Mutuc and his work

The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Executive Council, conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to others, and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

Tnalak weave of Lang Dulay

On display are some of the finest examples of our traditional artistry such as mats, textiles, costumes, looms, ornaments and musical instruments made y some of the most skillful artists from local ethnic communities across the country as well photos and short biographies of the awardees.

Alonzo Saclag

NOTE: On May 28, 2021, the gallery was upgraded to include the weave masterpieces of three Manlilikha ng Bayan from Mindanao in 2016.  The three are:

  • Ambalang Ausalin (2016) – a Yakan textile weaver from Lamitan City, Basilan who is able to bring forth all designs and actualize all textile categories typical to the Yakan. Using the back strap tension loom, she can execute the suwah bekkat(cross-stitch-like embellishment) and suwah pendan (embroidery-like embellishment) techniques of the bunga sama
  • Estelita Bantilan (2016) – a B’laan mat weaver from Malapatan, Sarangani who weaves thin strips of the pandanus romblon into some of the biggest, most subtly beautiful mats to be seen anywhere in Southeast Asia today. Her devotion to the idea of mats as gifts, rather than as commodities for sale, is the same concept of making that allowed her to refine her art to a technical and aesthetic sophistication vested in remarkable visual restraint.
  • Yabing Masalon Dulo (2016) – a B’laan weaver from Polomolok, South Cotabato, she is an expertin the making of fine, colorful warp ikat textiles from lutáy (abaka to other Philippine peoples).

Pis syabit of Darhata Sawabi

“Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit: 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles” Exhibit (Manila)

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“Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles” Exhibit

The “Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles” Exhibit, a project spearheaded by Senator Loren Legarda, was inaugurated on May 18, 2012 and is the first permanent exhibit of the National Museum on traditional  Philippine textile weaving, an art that has been performed in the Philippines since pre-colonial times, with each ethnic group having its own particular kind of textile, motifs, and method of production.  Highlighting the National Textile Collection, it shows the history and artistry of Philippine textiles.

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Featured are the different textile collections from the National Museum, National Anthropological Collection, and from the private collection of Senator Loren Legarda.

A display of weaving looms

Also seen here are weaving looms (abaca backstrap loom, pina foot loom, etc.) and the intricate process made by our ancestors in designing and producing textile wear from a single simple fiber.

Four sets of traditional native garb in varying shades of red project at the floor-to-ceiling glass case at the entrance. L-R: a two-piece formal female attire worn by the Gaddang of Ifugao; a sa-ul, a set of shirt and trousers traditionally worn by males of the B’laan tribe of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur; a more subdued mid-calf-length formal wear of a Tinguian female from Abra; and a brightly hued dagom and sawa worn exclusively by a male Mandaya of high rank in Davao Oriental.

Hibla means “thread” or fiber” and fibers or threads from more than 100 kinds of textiles, including abaca, banana, pineapple and cotton, are seen in the exhibit. The works of more than 100 indigenous groups are also featured.

The exhibit offers a glossy colored catalog that details the stories about each item of clothing, from the source of material to how it is painstakingly handcrafted, the occasion it was worn in and who is allowed by traditional edict to wear it.

For many ethnic groups, weaving is more than a tradition, it is a religious ritual.  The t’nalak fabric, woven by the T’boli people (who first tie-dye abaca threads in earth tones before weaving them) was, until World War II, used mainly for special clothing and to denote bride wealth at high-profile weddings of children of datus.

At left is a Maranao gilingan (wood and metal spinning wheel) from Lanao del Sur Sur

The intricate tapestries of the Tausug’s pis siyabit signified the wearer’s social rank. The tangkulu, a headcloth worn by magani (Bagobo warriors), can display varying shades from chocolate to blood red, depending on the number of lives taken by the wearer.

Tilar/pang-abelan foot loom from Bangar (La Union)

Bi-pedal foot loom donated by La Herminia weavers and Godofredo Ramos Foundation

There are also many tribes that consider fabrics as a form of currency. Among some groups, marriages can be forbidden without the possession of the proper cloth. The T’boli woman was considered low in social status and disallowed from demanding a high bride wealth or dowry if she cannot weave well.  Upon reaching 12 years of age, Bontoc girls were required to learn weaving.

Abl’lun (backstrap loom) used by the Mandaya to weave dagmay, the traditional handwoven textile made of lanot (abaca fibers, Musa textilis).

The museum has photos, taken by assistant director and anthropologist Dr. Ana Maria Theresa P. Labrador, of the funeral of a ranking Bontoc male whose status afforded him to wear an exclusive finangulawan of dark cloth designed with an intricate white pattern during his burial.

Kalinga loom used during the CAR Weaving Demonstration Series (2014)

There are also photos of Filipinos in traditional garb at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, courtesy of the American Museum of National History archives, as well as modern images of indigenous Filipinos in their tribal wear as well as the evolution of gowns, dresses and Barong Pilipino created by Filipino designers whose artistry enhanced the beauty of the piña, a traditional fiber made from pineapple fiber.

Tausug loom used during the CAR Weaving Demonstration Series (2014)

Other  native weaves and fabrics on display include blankets and apparel woven by the people of the Cordilleras  using a backstrap loom; abaca, silk; balud of the Maranao; abel iloco of Vigan (Ilocos Sur); the Tinguian blankets of Abra; Gaddang garments of Ifugao; textiles of Polomolok (South Cotabato); Maranao garments of Southern Mindanao, the dagmay of the Bagobo of Davao; and the hablon of Iloilo, woven from piña and jusi fibers, cotton and silk (and later manmade fibers),first developed by the people of Miagao in the latter part of the Spanish era.

Backstrap Loom (South Cotabato-B’laan)

Aside from garments narrating personal histories, the exhibit also features accessories worn by indigenous peoples.  Enclosed in a glass case are necklaces worn by the Gaddang to indicate social status. Materials include beads, cowrie shells, mother of pearl, horn, turtle shell, brass and strings.

Display of accessories used by indigenous peoples

“Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles” Exhibit: 4/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Entwined Spheres: Mats and Baskets as Containers, Conveyors and Costumes” Exhibit (Manila)

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“Entwined Spheres: Mats and Baskets as Containers, Conveyors and Costumes” Exhibit

The “Entwined Spheres: Mats and Baskets as Containers, Conveyors and Costumes” Exhibit, inaugurated in 2017, is a project in partnership with the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.

It features one of the oldest and most diverse forms of craft work in the Philippines, the baskets and mat weaving, and showcases a huge collection of old mats from various indigenous groups in the country and baskets that are used by the natives in many different and surprising ways.

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It shows different mats and baskets and how they were used by our ancestors, whether being a simple accessory or costume piece, containers for both secular and sacred objects, for fishing, farming and in other aspects of life.

The exhibit also explores how different ethnic groups in the country are connected and are similar to each other through basketry.

Among the mats from the National Ethnographic Collection featured in this case, the oldest gathered from field research is a 1946 Tagbanua mat from the late anthropologist Harold C. Conklin.

The most recent are those collected last year from the weavers from Sama, Tawi-Tawi and Basey, Samar who came to the National Museum of Anthropology to give weaving demonstrations.

Bubu (Ibanag fish trap)

It also features the largest baskets in the National Ethnographic Collection: the 222 cm. long x 68 cm. deep bubu (fish trap) by the Ibanag tribe of Cagayan and the 150 cm. high x 200 cm. deep bukag (Tagalog rice storage),

A cradle from the Itawes tribe of Cagayan

It also displays the smallest, buon-buon (Hanunuo betel chew container), H 2 x D 5.5 cm, each strip measures 0.1 cm.

Woven Head Costume

“Entwined Spheres: Mats and Baskets as Containers, Conveyors and Costumes” Exhibit: 4/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

Alegre Guitar Factory (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu)

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Alegre Guitar Factory

Part 10 of the Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort & Spa-sponsored City Tour

Prior to our return flight back to Manila, our van made a stopover at Alegre Guitar Factory.  One of the remarkable guitar-makers in Cebu, it is, by far the most impressive-looking as well as the most well known guitar factory in Abuno, Lapu-Lapu City. Its world-class guitars, gently created, outstandingly strong, competitive and of extraordinary quality, have never cease to impress seasoned guitarists and musicians.

Our guide showing us the different types of wood used in guitar making

Here, we were to make a short tour of the facility.  Our very knowledgeable and accommodating guide explained how Alegre’s quality guitars are all made by hand using imported wood  as well as indigenous woods (acacia, lauan, langka, mango and rosewood for backboard, and almasiga for the soundboard), with Philippine mahogany being one of the favorites.

Imported wood used include German spruce, Engelman spruce and cedar from Canada; Sitka spruce from Alaska; palisander from Africa; black ebony from Madagascar and Indian rosewood. The type of wood used, as well as local shell ornaments, make one unique instrument.

The assembly area was open for visitors and we were lucky enough to see some of the workers working, at different states of the process, on a guitar or a ukelele.  All the guitars are held together using glue and vises and twine hold the guitar parts in place during drying. However, due to health reasons, the area where they paint the guitars is closed.

Our short tour ended in a boutique full of finished products of all kind of qualities and prices, its walls neatly arranged with standard guitars of every type (there’s even a section for left-handed guitars as well) as well as other stringed instruments, all made by this guitar making family.

Prices for handmade guitars and ukeleles vary. There is a separate room showcasing the greater part of the top-quality and more expensive guitars that never stop to dumbfound the prepared, skilled guitarists and musical craftsmen.

Cocoleles

Ukuleles

Alegre doesn’t just sell guitars and ukuleles. They also sell the bandurria (a Philippine version of the mandolin), bass fiddles and even cocoleles (the Philipine version of the Hawaiian ukelele using coconuts for the body).

Marco Souvenir Shop

In addition, there is also an area for buying souvenirs (can’t play these).  Souvenirs, with prices anywhere from PhP150-900, include a tiny guitar with capiz shells in the front. They also have a wall full of pictures of artists, celebrities and famous musicians who previously visited their place.

Alegre Guitar Showroom

During our tour, we interviewed current owner and manager Mr. Fernando M. Alegre, himself a professional musician. The Alegre family, one of the pioneers in the guitar-manufacturing business, is on its third generation of proprietorship.

According to Mr. Alegre, the factory used to export guitars to to countries like Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United States but, as they get a lot of orders, they quit awhile back because the factory could not keep up with demand.  Still, people from all over come to buy the guitars made here.

Our visit to this guitar manufacturing center was a great educational experience as we saw how guitars were made using different types of wood material. Aside from visitors, prospective buyers, who are interested in the different stages of guitar-making, can take a look at the workshop to witness the craftsmen do the actual guitar-making process.

Mr. Fernando M. Alegre

Prices of Alegre-manufactured guitars and stringed instruments, compared to other guitar-selling shops, are quite expensive. The guitars range in price from around PhP2,000 (around US$40) to over PhP75,000 (around US$1,500). Still, you will get your money’s worth as their guitars last for a considerable amount of time.

Members of print media with Mr. Alegre

Alegre Guitar Factory: Pajac-Maribago Rd., Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.  Tel: (032) 340-4492 and  (032) 505-0706.  E-mail: alegreguitar@yahoo.com.ph.

Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort & Spa: Buyong, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City, 6015, Cebu. Tel: (032) 492-0100. Fax: (032) 492-1808.  E-mail: maribago@bluewater.com.ph.   Website: www.bluewatermaribago.com.ph.  Metro Manila sales office: Rm. 704, Cityland Herrera Tower, 98 Herrera cor. Valero Sts., Salcedo Village, Makati City, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 887-1348 and (02) 817-5751. Fax: (02) 893-5391.

Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (Tiwi, Albay)

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After lunch and some special halo-halo at DJC Halo-Halo & Snack Inn, we again boarded our van for the short, 7-km. drive to the quiet, little coastal village of Putsan, touted as the birthplace of pottery in the Philippines.  The barangay is said to be rich in red clay and feldspar which are the basic materials in pottery making.

Philippine Ceramic Craft Arts (PhilCeramics)

Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics)

Here, we were to visit Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics), a state-of-the-art terra-cotta production center in the Bicol region which has been identified as a tourist destination by the Department of Tourism. The building, situated on a 1,500 square meter lot donated by the Barangay Council of Putsan to DTI-Albay, has a total floor area of 1,000 sq. m..

Clay being hand molded

Clay being hand molded

PhilCeramics introduced the modern technology of pottery making in Tiwi which is now the leading terracotta ceramic industry in Bicol Region. This project of Department of Trade and Industry, allocated P15.7 million under the General Appropriations Act of 1994, started operating in January 2001.

A pair of steady and trained hands working on the potter's wheel

A pair of steady and trained hands working on the potter’s wheel

The village then formed a cooperative, the Putsan Ceramics Manufacturers Association (PCMA), whose role was to process clay, through the PhilCeramics facility, and to sell them to the entrepreneurs.  PCMA now has 57 members from Brgys. Baybay, Bolo and Putsan. Three were able to put up their own display centers of their products. It now provides a sustainable livelihood through pottery making.

Various patterns being smoothly and uniformly carved out

Various patterns being smoothly and uniformly carved out

Many potters, though, not yet ready to adapt to the modern processes, still choose to abide by the traditional method of pottery.  Traditional potters dry clay and molded pots under the sun along the sides of road or in front of their houses, and use the conventional way of baking, burning piles of hay and chaff on their yards, with the molded items underneath.

Painting designs in warm and vibrant colors

Painting designs in warm and vibrant colors

Of the 80% of households in Putsan that were into pottery, 20%used the PhilCeramics service facility while 60% stuck to the traditional methods of production. However, the two groups have different markets and there never was a competition between the traditional and modern potters. The traditional potters produce pots and big jars while the modern potters invest on decorative items.  The peak season of the industry is from December to March.

Aromatherapy burners

Aromatherapy burners

Specifically, PhilCeramics is mandated to undertake research and development activities and serve as a training center that will hone the skills of the local producers, giving rise to new breed of TC entrepreneurs. Today, it has developed 25 new entrepreneurs in Putsan who are active users of the service facility.

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Stars and crescent moons carved into the jars

As a production center, it provides access to common state-of-the-art service facilities for clay processing, kiln firing, casting, use of spray booth, and electric throwing machines, thus enabling local producers to manufacture export quality products.. It is also a display center providing a space to interested local producers who wish to maintain an exhibit of their products. Through the transfer of appropriate technology, it also seeks to improve the quality of products.

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As a product development center, it conducts continuing product development activities in coordination with the PDDCP and other agencies. A training center, it provides a series of basic and advance skills training to potential and existing TC workers, producers and entrepreneurs. For trade development, it conducts trade seminars and forums, trade fair participation and market matching activities that enhance the marketability of the terracotta wares.

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Upon arrival, we observed the pottery making process within the factory.  The process begins with heaps of red clay being dug out.  The clay then undergoes a long, meticulous process to make them fine and ready for shaping.  Then, these chunks of red clay are ground, milled, sifted and pressed into finer lumps with a bit of water and white clay blended in the mixture. Three mixtures are used in making a pot – red clay (himulot na pula), black clay (himulot na itom) and feldspar (baras). Water is added to complete the formula. An average of 20 to 40 kilos of clay is produced daily.

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The processed clay is then distributed to the parahurma (the local term for potter) of Putsan for them to mold right inside their homes, making modern pottery a communal enterprise in the village.  Jars and pots are then hand-molded in delicate shapes, by men, on top of an electric-driven throwing machine.  A pair of steady and trained hands works on the potter’s wheel, molding clay into the shape of pots or jars.

Pots being dried under the sun

Pots being dried under the sun

Then creativity kicks in, with various patterns (butterflies, flowers, moon, stars, etc.) smoothly and uniformly carved out.  The molded and carved out jars and pots are then placed into petroleum gas-powered ovens and baked. Women paint the designs in warm and vibrant colors.  A tight watch is made over the oven as too much heat can also break the pots and jars.

Display center of finished products

Display center of finished products

Product prices vary depending on size and design but most do not exceed PhP500. The products made are mainly for local consumption since bringing them to Manila would be expensive due to the high cost of freight services from Albay. However, the local government is also extending financial help to the pottery industry with the long-term goal of penetrating the export market.

Ceramic key chains

Ceramic key chains

Products include elegant vases (PhP50-250), ash trays (PkP50-100), pencil holders (PhP35-60), miniature jars cut and holed to become candle holders (PhP50-65)and aromatherapy burners (PhP65-300), key-chains (PhP10), ref magnets (PhP35), candle holders, decorative wind-chimes featuring butterflies and flowers (PhP75) and lamp shades (PhP65-150).  Coffee mugs and tea cups are made-to-order.

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The ceramics from Tiwi, because of its improved quality and design, is now gradually being introduced to the world of fashion and interior design. Some ceramic-made accessories are now being fashioned into accents for bags, curtains and blinds. Ceramic accents that looked like cookies are used for wall frame products.

Horoscope key chains

Horoscope key chains

While we were in the facility, we met up and chatted with Japanese Ms. Yukiko Takiguchi, Ms. Chiaki Koyama and 27 year old Mr. Yuji Ueno.  Yukiko, who arrived in Albay early this year, was studying pottery making in the facility.  During her training, she learned the Bicolano dialect.  When we arrived, she was assisting Chiaki at molding a pot at the potter’s wheel, with Yuji, a volunteer by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), looking on.

Yukiko and Chiaki at the potters wheel

Yukiko and Chiaki at the potters wheel

Yuji, now working with Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), also teaches students the concept of town watching, a popular activity on disaster education in Japan. Ueno is also bringing to Bicol the Iza! Kaeru Caravan, a famous Japanese fun-filled learning workshop and game on DRRM developed by PlusArts, a Japanese non-profit group, and the Japan Foundation.

PhilCeramics Arts and Crafts Center: Brgy. Putsan, Tiwi, 4513, Albay.

How to Get There: Tiwi is located 12 kms. from Tabaco City, 39 lms. from Legazpi City, and 538 kms. from Manila.  Brgy. Putsan is 2 kms. from the main road.

Natural Carpet Industries (Camalig, Albay)

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Another cottage industry that Albay is famous for is their abaca handicraft and furniture manufacturing. Abaca (100% biodegradable and eco-friendly) and abaca-based products have been a consistent dollar earner for the Philippines, one of only two abaca producers in the world (the other is Ecuador).  At the top of the list of manufacturers is Natural Carpet Industries (NCI) in Camalig.  NCI is one of the big abaca processors that supply high‐end abaca products.

Felipe Noe M. Mapa, Jr.

Felipe Noe M. Mapa, Jr.

We dropped by NCI’s 7,300 sq. m. production area to observe the abaca product manufacturing process.  On arrival, we were welcomed by the 36 year old Camalig-born owner Mr. Felipe Noe Morin Napa Jr., Sumlang’s barangay captain and one of a pool of entrepreneurs and artists adept in creating innovative styles and designs that are in sync with global trends.

Rolls of carpets

Rolls of carpets

Abaca baskets

Abaca baskets

A stack of finished rattan chairs

A stack of finished rattan chairs

In 1995, Napa started his small handicraft business as Napa’s Handicraft, mortgaging almost all of the Napa family’s properties to set it up.  Manufacturing abaca rugs, rattan furniture and fixtures, it has survived tough competition from other handicraft producers, both here and abroad, paying its workers per piece of any hand-woven product they created.

Carpet weavers

Adding finishing touches to an abaca carpet

Now, NCI is debt-free, boasting of a complement of 120 skilled and experienced weavers and craftsmen.  They create world-class products largely to fill the demand of the export market, particularly in Australia, Canada, Middle East, Europe and China.  NCI has boosted Albay’s abaca industry and created more jobs in the province.  In 2014, Felipe received the Outstanding Albayano Award for Decorative Arts.

Basket maker at work

Basket maker at work

One of their major products is natural, eco-friendly abaca carpets which are available in so many styles and colors. Other products include abaca placemats, ottoman, carpets, sofa, beds, jelly lamps, blinds, baskets, mirror frames and, if you want, a coffin made from abaca. Like other manufacturers, they continue to produce diverse and unique products that have undergone meticulous research and conceptualization in order to ensure each product’s functionality and intricate designs.

Natural Carpet Industries (35)

Abaca strands being woven into a carpet

The manufacturing process begins with the fiber first being extracted from the trunk of the abaca (Musa textilis) plant. These are stripped by hand, dried, classified according to size, color and texture, and then segregated and stored in bales. Before weaving, each individual fiber is sorted out to ensure the consistency of the rug’s strength and superiority. The selected strands are then delicately and very carefully handwoven. From the cutting of a plant up to the start of weaving process takes about a month and a half. A 3 x 7-foot carpet takes one person a week to weave while bigger pieces can take about a month, using many different patterns.

Removing excess strands off a carpet

Removing excess strands off a carpet

Natural abaca fibers are twisted and woven by hand. I observed a woman demonstrating how to weave an exquisite, boldly textured 14” x 19” placemat. She first collected the pinuron (strands of abaca fiber) using the spinning wheel and then takes two separately collected pinurons and  alternately inserts the threads into the wooden handloom.

A handloom for weaving abaca

A handloom for weaving abaca

She then steps on the left break, inserts the first pinuron to the left side of the thread, then pounds it. Next, she steps on the right break, inserts the second pinuron to the right side of the thread, pounds it.

Newly painted baskets are placed under the sun to dry

Newly painted baskets are placed under the sun to dry

Natural Carpet Industries (NCI): Napa Bldg., Zone 5, Brgy. Sumlang, Camalig, 4502, Albay. Tel: (02) 738-9963.  Mobile number: (0917) 570-1830 and (0932) 811-1704. E-mail: napa_felipenoejr@yahoo.com.

Municipal Tourism, Culture and Arts Office: Camalig Tourism  and Pasalubong Center, Brgy. 2, Camalig, Albay.  Mobile number: (0927) 621-3315.  E-mail: camalig_tourism@yahoo.com.

Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO): Albay Tourism Bldg., Albay Astrodome Complex, Capt. F. Aquende Drive, 4500 Legaspi City, Albay.  Tel: (052) 481-0250 and (052) 742-0242. E-mail: albaytourism@yahoo.com and albaytourism@gmail.com.

Cordillera World (Baguio City, Benguet)

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Cordillera World

Cordillera World

Before we left the ever-popular Mines View Park, Melissa, Almira, Albert, Jandy and I visited the nearby Cordillera World, one of the newest attractions in the City of Pines located on the left side of the Mines View Tourism Office.

The narrow stairs leading up to the museum

The narrow stairs leading up to the museum

Wooden sleepers on a gravel bed

Wooden sleepers on a gravel bed

A pet project of Mr. Roland Cayat, this travel destination was opened last March 2011 through the help of some local investors and the support of the members of the Mines View Barangay Council.

Registration area and donation basket

Registration area and donation basket

A showcase of the rich heritage of the original mountain tribes of Northern Luzon, it is also an excellent vehicle to support a local advocacy and special program that helps out-of-school youths to go back to school or to finance and support their young families. There is no entrance fee but voluntary contributions from generous visitors to support the project are accepted.

Cordillera World (1)

Cordillera World (4)

We entered this second floor mini-museum/souvenir shop via a narrow wooden stairway whose risers feature salutations of “welcome” in five local dialects. Once inside, we had to register our names before taking photos. Do go around the displays, we walked on wooden sleepers laid on a gravel bed..

Cordillera World (2)

Cordillera World (11)

Here, we learned more about the lifestyle and culture of the highlands, seeing and sometimes touching ancient tools, clothing and accessories used by different tribes of the Cordilleras.

Cordillera World (7)

Cordillera World (8)

Visitors can even wear colorful, woven native costumes and feathery headdresses, as well as of being armed with hand-made bows, arrows and spears, and take photos as many times as they like.

Jandy and Almira in front of the replica of an Ifugao hut

Jandy and Almira in front of the replica of an Ifugao hut

At the center of the museum is a life-size replica of an Ifugao house decorated with animal skulls, woven tapestry and palay. From a viewing deck, we enjoyed the same spectacular view of the Cordillera mountains as seen from Mines View Park.  Beside it is their version of a “wishing well” (actually a pan filled with water).

Almira, Jandy, Albert and Melissa enjoying the mountain view

Almira, Jandy, Albert and Melissa enjoying the mountain view

A "wishing well"

A “wishing well”

Unique souvenirs sold here include Ifugao wine, CD that contains local Ifugao music to savour the culture even more, wood carvings and statues, pure honey, feathered headdresses and dream catchers that are hung around the place.

Cordillera World (10)

Cordillera World: Gibraltar Rd., Baguio City, Benguet.

Shoti Making at Badiauri Village (Sagarejo, Georgia)

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We were now on our third and final day of our GNTA-sponsored Georgian Countryside Tour and Buddy, Pancho, Melissa, Riva and I, together with our Georgian guide Sopho, were to travel east again on a 112-km./2-hr. drive, via S5, to the town of Sighnaghi. Just about 75 kms. and a little over an hour out of Tblisi, we made a stopover at the village of Badiauri in the town of Sagarejo where we dropped by a bakery.  Here, we observed two elderly Georgian ladies making Georgian bread called puri (pronounced “poo-ree”), the Georgian table staple which is usually served with every meal.

Badiauri Village in Sagarejo

Badiauri Village in Sagarejo

The traditional and very popular puri, especially the long pointed bread called shotis puri, is traditionally baked in a deep, circular, beehive-shaped oven called a tone (pronounced “ton-AY”).  A tone (torne/turne in old Georgian), the Georgian version of the tandoor, is made with a mixture of special quartz sand, which is used in making glass, and a fireproof clay called chamuti.  When it dries, it fuses into a hard, fireproof surface. This mixture is spread on the outside of the tone and wrapped in linen.  The interior, on the other hand, is lined with fire proof bricks.  A tone usually lasts for 7-8 years before it will need to be replaced.

The traditional clay oven called a tone

The traditional clay oven called a tone

Most streets in Georgia have at least one traditional bakery and I have already observed one local bakery before when I was in Borjomi.  In earlier times, all bakers came from Racha Region of Western Georgia and they are generally acknowledged to be the best bakers in Georgia.

The individual balls of dough

The individual balls of dough

It takes time to learn how to make good bread which is made from just flour, water, yeast and salt. It also takes much physical strength to hand mix (25 kgs. at a time) and knead the dough but the two ladies were up to the task, taking lumps of dough, grasping them at two ends and stretching them across a kind of curved paddle covered in cloth.

Shaping the dough into spindle shapes

Shaping the dough into spindle shapes

For at least 40 minutes, they let the dough stand for it to rise and the yeast to ferment. Then, they cut the mass of dough into individual “balls” of bread (each weighing about 600 gms.), place them in rows, dust them with flour (to prevent their sticking on the surface) and again let them stand for at least another hour.

Slapping the dough to the top side of the tone

Slapping the dough to the top side of the tone

Then, they roll the dough, making them spindle-shaped with a broad center portion and tapering ends. Once the tone reaches the desired heat, determined not by a thermometer but by testing the inside wall with loose flour, they then stick the paddle into the oven and skillfully slap the dough tightly against the inside wall of the tone sitting in the middle of the bakery.

The dough is baked for 10 minsutes

The dough is baked for 10 minsutes

In less than 10 minutes, they were done and they took out the baked bread without dropping it in the fire. The fresh shoti come out looking like canoes.  They were delicious, with crispy edges, a moist white center and a great aroma.

Freshly-baked shotis puri

Freshly-baked shotis puri

Ten 50-kg. bags of flour can make more than 1,400 loaves of bread. Nowadays, modern bread factories use electrically powered mixers for the dough when making traditional bread.

The author with the 2 lady bakers

The author with the 2 lady bakers

Georgia National Tourism Administration: 4, Sanapiro St, 0105, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: +995 32 43 69 99. E-mail: info@gnta.ge. Website:www.georgia.travel; www.gnta.ge.

Qatar Airways has daily flights from Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark, Pampanga) to Tbilisi (Republic of Georgia) with stopovers at Hamad International Airport (Doha, Qatar, 15 hrs.) and Heydar Aliyev International Airport (Baku, Azerbaijan, 1 hr.). Website: www.qatarairways.com.

Bohol Bee Farm (Dauis, Bohol)

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Bohol Bee Farm

Bohol Bee Farm

After breakfast, a dip at the lagoon pool and an ocular inspection, with Rooms Division manager Mr. Leo P. Go,  of the resort’s Honeymoon Villas, it was now time to check out of  Panglao Bluewater Resort.  After thanking our gracious host, Mr. Pete Dacuycuy (who left for Manila ahead of us), we again boarded our airconditioned coach which was to bring us to the next town of Dauis.  Here, we were to have lunch at the homey and relaxing Bohol Bee Farm.

Potted herbs and vegetables

Potted herbs and vegetables

This self-sustaining, nature-themed and eco-friendly resort  is filled with rustic wooden furniture and a unique lush, green environment.  Alugbati vines grow on the trellises while the frontage is filled with small plots of various organic herbs (oregano, dill, fennel, basil, spearmint, pandan, magic rose, thyme, chives, lemon grass, peppermint, parsley, aloe vera, stevia, coriander, rosemary and tarragon) and vegetables (romaine lettuce, celery, eggplant, mustard, etc.), all used as ornamental plants and lining the walkways.

The cliff with the sun deck and swimming area below it

The cliff with the sun deck and swimming area below it

This agricultural haven, situated on top of a cliff that drops dramatically into the sea (the swimming area below it is accessible by a flight of wooden stairs), was once dedicated to bee cultivation but the bees perished and the farm was moved to Inabanga.

The 2wo-tiered swimming pool

The 2-tiered indoor swimming pool

The farm promotes healthy eating and we were here to sample a delicious and unique buffet lunch, which uses organically-grown vegetables, at its restaurant overlooking the sea.  On our way to the restaurant, we passed the resort’s lounge area and two-tiered, indoor swimming pool.

The restaurant

The restaurant

Too bad, resort owner and chef Victoria “Vicky” Wallace-Sandidge, a Bohol-born and New York-based nurse-turned-farmer, wasn’t around to entertain us.  Married to African- American Thomas Edward Wallace, she had two children (Mellanie and Abdul) with him but was widowed in 1988.  In 1991, she bought a 4.8-hectare property and established the Bee Farm two years later. Here, she promotes organic farming which doesn’t use expensive conventional fertilizers and harmful pesticides for the farm’s crops. Vicky sits as an active member of the Bohol Initiatives for Sustainable Agriculture and Development (BIFAD).

Organic garden salad

Organic garden salad. Notice the edible flowers? They say that any flower being sucked by bees is not poisonous and, therefore, is edible

Cabcab with pesto & green tomatoes

Cabcab with pesto & green tomatoes

We started our lunch buffet (reasonably priced at PhP600/pax), amidst the cool sea breeze and stunning ocean view, with glasses of fresh lemongrass juice; a very spicy, colorful and tasty organic garden salad (romaine lettuce, turnips, mustard greens and indigenous flowers topped with honey mustard dressing); an appetizer of light, crisp cabcab (mashed cassava pulp dried and deep fried into thin wafers or crackers) with a dip of pesto & green tomato; and a bowl of seafood soup.

Grilled fish

Grilled marlin

Honey-glazed chicken

Honey-glazed chicken

Spare ribs

Spare ribs

The main dishes consisted of grilled marlin, honey-glazed chicken and spare ribs plus seafood lasagna, organic red rice with camote, and squash bread with homemade spreads. Dessert was healthy and very delicious, homemade ube and malunggay (moringa) ice cream.

Seafood lasagna

Seafood lasagna

Squash bread with homemade spreads

Squash bread with homemade spreads

After lunch, we proceeded to the Buzz Shop, their gift and souvenir shop up front which sells all sorts of organic products.  On sale are various vegetable breads and muffins (squash muffins, carrot muffins, camote bread, honeyed muffins, etc.); fruit and vegetable chips (cassava, banana, etc.); spreads (honey, mango, pesto, choco, etc.); a variety of teas, both in leaf and powdered form (including the very  popular honeyed ginger tea); black berry wine; native vinegar; kape mais (coffee made from roasted corn and wild berries); and dried cabcab.

An array of food products

An array of food products

They also sell wild honey from the farm; bee propolis, pure honeybee pollen, honeyed tableya, honeyed garlic; honeyed mustard salad dressing and honeyed hot sauce.   You can also buy soap (milk, papaya, lemongrass, etc.); buri and raffia woven products; beewax lip balm; virgin coconut oil; and honey or pollen-based shampoos and lotions.

Souvenir shop

Souvenir shop

We have already sampled the homemade ube and malunggay ice cream but we still visited the small Buzzz ice cream shop to check out their other very exotic offerings (PhP40 for 1 scoop and PhP80 for 2 scoops) – chocolate, durian, avocado, pandan, tomato, mango, guyabano, spicy ginger and buko (young coconut). Their ice cream is the star of their very unique and interesting halo-halo.

Buzzz Ice Cream

Buzzz Ice Cream

After our pasalubong shopping and prior to leaving, Mr. Ariel B. Logrono, a staff member of the farm took us on a 30-min. guided tour. He first gave us a lecture on different organic farming methods.  The resort practices vermiculture, mostly using their waste products mixed with animal manure for vermicompost.   After 6 months, it is then used as fertilizer.

Listening to Ariel's lecture on organic farming

Listening to Ariel’s lecture on organic farming

They  also practice the concept of companion planting, a form of polyculture wherein different crops are planted in close proximity to each other.  The theory is that these plants assist each other in nutrient uptake, pest control, pollination, and other factors necessary for increasing crop productivity.

Companion planting.

Companion planting at work. Grasshoppers feeding on their favorite leaves but leaving the nearby herbs intact

We were also given a highly educational tour of the Crafts and Livelihood section of the resort, our guide demonstrating and giving inputs on the process involved in each activity. Here, the Bohol Bee Farm staff are encouraged to do livelihood activities such as raffia making, basket making and sewing,  enabling them to give a little back to the community.

Crafts and Livelihood Section

Crafts and Livelihood Section

Seasonal basket and raffia decors

Seasonal basket and raffia decors

At the center, we observed members of the cooperative operating looms and sewing machines as they turned raffia and buri palm leaves into fabric sheets, bags, place mats, purses, slippers, curtains, seasonal decors, table runners, tissue holders, hats and other merchandise.  The loom weavers made it look so easy, their shuttles zipping back and forth without hardly any effort. A 10-foot long sheet of raffia fabric usually takes 3 to 4 days to complete.

Observing loom weaving

Observing loom weaving

Bohol Bee Farm: Brgy. Dao, Dauis, Panglao Island, 6339 Bohol.  Tel: (038) 502 2288 and (038) 510-1821 to 22. Mobile number: (0917) 710-1062, (0939) 904-6796 and (0917) 304-1491.  E-mail: vickywallace@boholbeefarm.com.   Website: www.boholbeefarm.com.