SAN JOSE, Antique – The number of Antiqueños engaged in loom weaving as livelihood has increased more than fourfold since 2007.
Only around 15 people were into weaving patadyong (loose checkered skirt) when they reorganized loom weavers in Bugasong town that year, said Bagtason Loom Weavers Association president Mario Manzano.
“Right now we have 72 weavers – nine were males and the rest were females,” said Manzano.
The industry began in Bugasong back in the pre-Hispanic times where women engaged themselves in patadyong weaving as occupation right in their homes. At the time patadyong was used as a mosquito net or hammock.
“[But] the weaving industry waned when Chinese textiles in the 1960s penetrated the market,” Manzano said.
Chinese textile were sold cheaper than patadyong and thus more preferred.
“The Bagtason Loom Weavers Association, through the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry, was established to encourage residents of Bugasong to produce and again market their own local product,” Manzano said.
With the help of the agency, the associated held trainings among interested individuals who it ultimately hired as workers.
Amid the renewed and growing demand for patadyong and to keep up with trends, the association introduced new products, including shawls, scarves, handkerchiefs, and bags, among others.
“We now have a trained weaver in Barangay Egana, Sibalom,” said Manzano, as plans are afoot to expand the industry to Valderrama.
He said their products could be distinguished from the patadyong produced in other places through their sampaguita flower design.
Their products also have a distinct red color and were thicker, Manzano said. “We use cotton and polyester but we are also mixing abaca fiber.”
The abaca fiber was ordered from producers in Aklan, a province known for its handwoven abaca fabrics.
Manzano said they were looking for more abaca fiber sources with the help of the Fiber Industry Development Authority.
Currently the association has 52 tirals, or wooden looms.
Weavers who want to produce more have to work early as they take turns in using the looms. “A worker is paid for every piece,” Manzano said.
A worker who finishes a shawl a day can earn as much as P166 per piece, or P5,000 per month, which could double, depending on the number of their finished products.
In addition, the association has joined trade fairs, including those organized by the Department of Tourism in Manila or abroad.
Just this Nov. 10 to 11 their product was featured in the Likhang Pamana Fashion Show at the Sheraton Hotel in Hong Kong.
Local designer Wilthe Popelo was one of the 10 designers in the Philippines the Tourism department invited to join the event. (PNA)
