CULTURAL...

home industry has managed to survive to this day. It is the Chavez family tradition for generations that I have in my own hands now,” the friendly and charming Ilongga confides.

Mrs. Villanueva laments the fact that it is difficult to interest the younger generation of Ilonggos to this traditional craft for the skill to be learned and passed on for future generations. Weaving requires patience, hard work, passion and commitment. Qualities which are truly lacking in today’s confused and materialistic MTV generation.

Mrs. Villanueva trusts and relies on her aging sinamay and piña weavers of decades for demonstrations in the Villanueva’s Sinamay Weaving Center whenever she is requested by Iloilo visitors. “It helps clients value our sinamay and piña products better if they see with their own eyes the actual weaving process. It is true art in itself,” she confided.

Mrs. Villanueva’s products consist of sinamay and piña clothing materials for wedding gowns and barongs; shawls and hankies; dining accessories like tablecloths and napkins; and fans, embroidered caftans, coin purses and bags. She has now included Iloilo’s popular hablon materials among her products which she sells to clients in Iloilo and Manila.

Thanks to persevering and entrepreneurial people like Mrs. Cecilia Gison Villanueva who has managed to preserve a national treasure in our sinamay and piña textiles. The Philippines, to date, is the only country in the world which has maintained her ancient tradition for producing hand woven textiles from abaca and pineapple fibers. The problem is, a majority of Filipinos cannot even afford to wear them with pride!

Madamo guid nga salamat, tita Cecilia, for being so accommodating and keeping the centuries-old Philippine tradition alive. It is always an honor to write about you and your beautiful sinamay and piña fabrics. My best regards to all the manang weavers.