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BY: Angel Arguelles, Kristine Javier, Nancy Jimena, Gail Momblan
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MIAG-AO, Iloilo – The municipality of Miag-ao is calling for more weavers as labor is no longer enough to sustain the increasing demand for the hablon fabric.
The Miag-ao municipal government has continually boosted the industry through the promotion of the fabric both in local and national markets which resulted to an influx of orders for the weavers.
One of these efforts was Mayor Macario Napulan’s mandate to use hablon as uniforms for schools and local government offices.
The combination of the town’s Salakayan Festival and the Hablon Festival also increased the demand as participants are required to use the fabric.
Moreover, Napulan invited young designers from Iloilo Designer’s Guild to take part in the Hablon Festival to further develop the product’s marketability as well as to introduce the fabric to the younger generation. This was most notably seen in Miag-ao’s latest addition to their Hablon Festival, Little Miss Hablon, which was organized by internationally renowned designer Nono Palmos. Palmos, who is a native of the town, is famous for his use of hablon in his designs.
Trade fairs also gave opportunities for the weavers to expand their clientele. The local province of Iloilo has a display of hablon fabric for sale at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol building where hablon makers drop off their products every week.
IN DEMAND
Hablon is also in demand beyond the province of Iloilo. According to Constancia F. Atihon, owner of Reyden’s hablon, the University of the Philippines Diliman has placed an order of 2,000 sablays which they have to accomplish within seven months. However, the center has only 15 weavers to meet the order.
Most heads of the different weaving centers in Miag-ao are concerned that the number of weavers are not increasing and soon they will have nobody to make hablon anymore.
“Maabot nalang kadya ang tion nga wara ron ti mabilin nga manug habol kanamon kay iba ron hilig ka mga bata,” said Vilma Noquero, president of the Indag-an Weaving Center.
In Barangay Guibongan, plans for a center were postponed since there was just one established weaver in the whole area.
“Ginahagad ko ang iban nga magtuon man daad habol, bisan ako nalang magtudlo pero sako man laban nga tawo,” shared Leonora Frias from Guibongan.
According to Myrgin Silvano, president of Valencia Weaving center, they have also experienced the same fate.
“Ang problema sini, wala kami weavers, [kay] sa amon diri, eskuwela guid. Wala sang may gauntat sang high school naga-college guid so ang gwa ya daun, biskan ang iban nga indi kakita sang kwarta, ga gwa guid mag-OFW [overseas Filipino worker].”
Silvano added that there is not enough manpower to sustain the demands, which leads them to decline clients sometimes as they do not want to compromise quantity over quality.
YOUNG WEAVERS
Despite the small number of teenagers that are involved in the hablon industry, Genine Tejing, 16, chose to engage in weaving since it has already been a primary source of livelihood for their family.
“Tanan kame kasan-o sa balay gahabol gid, bisan pati si Tatay. Sa paglantaw-lantaw ko man kay nanay kag sa mga magurang ko, nakamaan man ako maghabol. Nagtuon man ako habol sa coop [Indag-an Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative] para makamaan pa gid ako ka iban nga pamaagi,” Tejing said in an interview.
Tejing works in Miag-ao’s biggest weaving center located in Indag-an, which houses 24 weavers, the most number in the municipality.
The center had an expansion project which was built in the next barangay. The additional center was operational for a short period of time but was forced to shut down due to the lack of weavers.
In the hopes of resolving the lack of interest among the youth for the industry, both heads from Valencia and Indag-an hablon centers suggested to revive the weaving course at Miag-ao National High School or to integrate it into a college level.
“Para mas mapalapit pa ang mga kabataan sa industriya,” said Marjorie Segurigan, president of Indag-an Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative.
Having such course can be beneficial not only to the hablon industry but to the younger generation as well since weaving could be a viable source of income, she added.
To encourage more youth to venture into hablon weaving, the local government has plans to build a hablon museum and an additional weaving center in town.
In an interview with Napulan, he disclosed that the Department of Tourism has pledged a P5-million budget for the construction of the museum, which is expected to be completed by 2019.
There can be a career in weaving hablon especially in Miag-ao where there is a lot of support from both the community and the local government; one only needs dedication and hard work, like in any other job.
As one weaver said, “Baka-baka lang para makakita dako.”/PN
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