MANILA, October 6, 2012-This Indigenous People's Month, Senator Loren Legarda will underscore her commitment to the welfare of our indigenous peoples through her latest initiative, the HIBLA Pavilion of Textiles and Weaves of the Philippines, to be launched at Manila FAME 2012 this October 17.
“After the resounding success of the first permanent textile galleries in the country which we launched last May, we are now going beyond promoting awareness about our traditional arts and crafts. We are opening doors of opportunities for weaving communities and Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) through the HIBLA Pavilion, and generating greater patronage for cultural enterprises and creative industries of our indigenous peoples,” she said.
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and patron of the National Museum's Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles, noted that a website featuring all the HIBLA Pavilion textiles and crafts, as well as the SLTs and weaving centers that created them, will be launched at the event.
“The HIBLA Pavilion will showcase the best textiles of the Ivatan of Batanes, Gaddang of Mountain Province, Mangyan of Oriental Mindoro, Panay Bukidnon of Iloilo, Subanen of Zamboanga del Sur, Ata Talaingod of Davao del Norte, T’boli of South Cotabato, B’laan of Saranggani, among other cultural communities,” she said.
“Exceptional textiles and crafts from weaving and handicraft centers in Ilocos Sur, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Samar, Aklan, Iloilo, Antique, Zamboanga del Sur, and Bukidnon will also be featured in the four-day exhibition from the 17th to the 20th of October at the SMX Convention Center,” she added.
The Senator is also the author of the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law of 2004, which mandated the use of indigenous fibers for the official uniforms of government officials and employees, with the objective of strengthening the local fiber industry.
Furthermore, Legarda helped the National Museum organize the Lecture Series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous Knowledge, which enriched citizens' knowledge on tropical fabrics and the culture of weaving, and explored the local technology, adaptation and innovations to perform and renew weaving customs.
“Against a backdrop of a fast-changing globalized world, we aim to promote, preserve, and sustain the many weaving methods deeply rooted in the Filipino culture. We aim to support our talented weavers, our culture-bearers, and encourage them to continue weaving and pass on their expertise to the next generations. The HIBLA Pavilion is our latest endeavor to nurture our weaving traditions and support the livelihood of our indigenous cultural communities,” she concluded.
