Lesson 5- Folk Arts and Crafts of Southern Tagalog Angono, Rizal is known as the “Arts Capital of the

and Bicol Region Philippines.“ Two of our famous National Artists came from
this place. They are Lucio San Pedro for music and Carlos
CALABARZON- Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, “Botong” Francisco for visual arts.
and Quezon
Angono is also known for its Higantes festival. It is historically
Southern Tagalog a festival showing the big faces of the hacienderos made of
Laguna paper mache. Traditional higantes are composed of father,
mother, and a child that measure around 4-5 feet tall.
This lakeside place is known as the home province of our
hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Its soil is very rich and the area is Cavite and Batangas
surrounded with natural resources. Taal, Batangas is known for its embroidered pinya fabric
Paete, Laguna is branded as the “Wood Carving of the made from pineapple fibers called callado.
Philippines.”their distinct designs are flowers full of curves The Batanguenos take pride in their art of making balisong, a
and hooks, which is locally known as ukit. knife that can be folded like a fan that comes from various
They are also known for its taka or paper mache art sizes and designs. Balisong is also known as a butterfly knife.
technique and kayas, an art craft using scrapping techniques Quezon
of softwood thriving in the Sierra Madre mountain range to
produce flora and fauna decorations. Lucban, Quezon is known for its Pahiyas folk arts. They create
kiping, a décor that is made of glutinous rice wrapped around
The town of Lumban is known for their Barong Tagalogs. with special leaves as packaging and cooked over low fire.
President Ramon Magsaysay chose to wear “Barong Bicol Region
Tagalogs”in all official.
Bicolanos are popular for their exemplary skills in the art of
In Liliw, Laguna, the beaded art of making alfombra slippers basketry, slipper making, and bag making, and other modern
has been part of their local’s folk arts. decorative crafts. Their weaving includes garments, mosquito
Rizal nets, and baskets.

1. Laguna is known for its taka or paper mache art

technique.
2. Rizal is known as the art capital of the Philippines. 3. Buri strips and split nito-plaiting (buri strips overlaid with
3. Batangas is known for its embroidered pinya fabric made split nito.
from pineapple fibers called callado. Palawan
4. Quezon is known for its Pahiyas folk arts.
5. Bicolanos are popular for their exemplary skills in the art Palawan is internationally known as “The Last Frontier” of the
of basketry, slipper making, bag making, and other modern country. Its cultural and natural resources are very rich. Who
decorative crafts. would not recognize the Puerto Princesa’s underground river
Lesson 6-Folk Arts and Crafts of MIMAROPA that was recently recognized as one of the new 7 wonders of nature.
MIMAROPA-Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Also known for its largest marine habitat, the Tubbataha
Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan Reef, this marine sanctuary is considered as one of the
UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.
MIMAROPA
Manunggul Jar-considered as one of the most treasured
Mindoro
artifacts in Philippine history. The jar is considered as a
In Mindoro, the Hanunoo Mangyan are famous for their
secondary burial for the deceased loved ones. It is found in
writing, basketry, and weaving, their style of waving is called
Quezon, Palawan. Also shown in the old design of the one
habilan and it produces baskets in various shapes and designs.
thousand peso bill.
The Tagbanua are also famous for their baskets and wood
carvings. Their equally famous tingkop (harvest baskets) are
Sculpture is a branch of the visual arts that operates in three
made of hard-strip bamboo. The natural color of the bamboo
dimensions (that exist in space) and created by shaping and
is used. combining materials. Three- dimensional is an object that
Marinduque has height, width and depth.
In Marinduque, the art of making mats using raffias and buri Lesson 7-Folk Arts and Crafts of Visayas
is a popular livelihood in the communities. Marinduque is Western Visayas Arts
also known for their Moriones festival every Lenten season.
Panay Island
Romblon
Romblon is not only known for its marble crafts, but also for ILOILO
their sense of artistry in making woven mats and plants.
Basket weaving is a major art craft in Romblon ILOILO is considered the “queen” of weaving, both in the past
1. Kokolongkoy vine-roping (used only in Romblon) and in the present. Iloilo was referred to as the “Textile
2. Nito vine- weaving of dark nito against a light colored Capital of the Philippines.”
vine.
Iloilo is famous for its old Spanish houses. Some of these old Antique
ancestral houses are now declared as Heritage Houses by the
national Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) The province of Antique is situated in the Western Visayas
Iloilo is also famous for its culinary arts. La paz batchoy, region. It is also noted for its weaving industry. Abaca fiber is
bulalo, lengua and sizzling gambas are some of these famous also grown in this province. Thus, there are handicrafts like
dishes. bags, furniture, carpets, and clothing made of abaca that are
Handloomed weaving is the primary art and one of the best produced in this province. Other handicrafts produced are
sources of livelihood in Panay island. baskets, carpets, placemats and boxes made of buri, abaca,
Hablon is a heritage industry in Iloilo. It is not only a means of bariw and nito materials.
livelihood but also part of Iloilo’s culture and tradition. It is
Negros Island
derived from the Hiligaynon word habol which means “to
weave”. Chicken inasal, on the other hand, is the famous dish of Negros
Occidental. The art of weaving is an essential part of the
Patadyong is a traditional Filipino cloth worn by women and
Negrense’s rich culture. Their weaving practices are evident
wrapped around like a skirt.
in their roofs, clothing, walls, hats and baskets. In their
Pinya or jusi cloth making has been a tradition of the people basket making, they usually use pandan and buri leaves.
from Aklan. It would usually take two months to finish a ten-
Before the Spaniards cam, Negros is called Buglas (a type of
meter long jusi cloth. The process of making a pinya cloth is
grass similar to sugarcane) because they grow abundantly in
really tedious, and entails a lot of sacrifices.
the island. Nowadays, Negros is known for its sugarcane
Bariw is the type of pandan leaves used in their mat making. business and with its colorful and festive Masskara
celebration on Bacolod.
Pagrara ti banig means “mat weaving.” In their culture, it is
also a form of social interaction with their friends and Lesson 8-Folk Arts and Crafts of Central Visayas
neighbors. and Eastern Visayas
Capiz or kapis is one of the most noted crafts in Aklan and Visayan Arts
Iloilo. Kapis crafts are shells collected from the sea, dried,
pressed, shaped, and cut according to the desired shapes and Cebu
forms.
The artworks of most of our ancestors were metal, bronze, The town of Basey in Samar is famous for its banig or
and gold casting, and woodcarving. Many of the jewelry of the handwoven mats. Instead of using dried buri leaves, the
Cebuanos were of Spiral and floral designs. The beauty of the natives in Basey use dried tikog leaves. Aside from mats, the
jewelry of the people of the island of Cebu was observed by weaving of baskets, bag, wall decors, placemats, round mats
Spaniard named Antonio De Pigafetta. This man was Magellan’s and other functional household items are produced by
chronicler or writer of events. In his journal, Pigafetta mentioned talented craftsmen of the province.
his admiration of the mode of dressing of the early Cebuanos.
Two processes in making a Basey:
Cebu is one of the oldest city in the Philippines. It is home to
many skilled craftsmen. 1. Weaving which is locally known as baniglara

Woodcarvings are also popular in Cebu. There are many 2. Embroidery as Burda
excellent wood carvers in Cebu who carve religious icons,
Weaving is already embedded in the culture of the Warays
small sculptures, and functional items such as household
and Cebuanos living in Samar, biliran, and Leyte islands.
utensils.
Their ingenuity is also evident in their basket, bags, and other
Handcrafted guitars are also excellently done in Cebu. Cebu native crafts.
guitars are popular because of their superior craftsmanship.
In weaving, threads that go up and down in vertical
A world-class Filipino furniture designer, Kenneth Cobonpue, orientations are called warp. Threads that go across are the
makes Cebu’s furniture famous. Some of his works were weft. It is woven over and under the warp. The challenge lies
featured in Hollywood films. on the use of varying lines, colors, cuts, and number of strips
or threads.
Bohol
BOHOL is famous for its century-old houses. Many of them
were made of coral stones which were taken from the sea
and were cemented using egg yolks. Loom weaving is
popular in Tubigon. Basket weaving and wood carving are
popular in Antequera. One of the tourist spots in Bohol is the
Chocolate Hills.
SAMAR, LEYTE, AND BILIRAN islands