HANDICRAFTS AND FOLKCRAFTSINDUSTRIES IN THE PHILIPPINES:Their Socio-Cultural and Economic Context

BY OLYMPIO V. CAPARAS, VALENTINE MARIEL L. LIM AND NESTOR S. VARGAS

A rich and varied country of over 7,100 islands, the Philippines is in the heart of

Southeast Asia. The islands are divided into three main groupings. Luzon, the

biggest island with the historic capital of Manila, and several tiny islands

surrounding it, make up the north. At the center are the Visayas, a scattered

collection of small islands, and to the south is Mindanao with one major island

surrounded by minor ones.

The Philippines is a country whosepeople are blessed with pebbles oftalents, one of which is their ability tocreate and innovate with their hands,their feet, their whole being.

From north to south, each region inthe country boasts of a traditional craftthat gives a glimpse of the culture andtraditions of its people, be it basketry,loom weaving, embroidery, potterymaking, jewelry making, wood carving,shellcraft, or the creation of decorativeand novelty items.

PHILIPPINE HANDICRAFTS ANDFOLKCRAFTS: A SCENARIO

Handicrafts have always found a

strong linkage with the culturalheritage of a nation. It is one of theconcrete representations of the spirit,the identity, and the life-style of itspeople. Within the Philippinearchipelagic spread, between theIvatan of the isolated Batanes Islandgroup in the north to the sea-faringSamals of the Tawi-tawi Islands inthe south, one finds a wide anddiverse mix of cultural heritage, witha variety of traces ranging fromethnic, to Muslim, to Hispanic-Christian influences.

This same diversity is reflected in therichness and variety of Philippine-made handcrafted goods that are

penetrating First World markets. Thevariety of raw materials to workwith, along with cultural diversity,creates for the Philippines a richrepository of native and ethnichandicrafts. A case in point are thehandwoven textiles. Using the mostbasic of hip looms to the moremodern wooden hand looms, thevariety of designs, textiles, andcolours vary from one ethnic tribe toanother. From the north, we havethe Ilocano woven blanket which isstill popularly used even among citydwellers. From the mountains of theCordilleras, the ethnic designs of theIfugaos, the Kalings, and the Igorothave found their way into the

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western world as table runners or asdecorative tapestry. From Bicol,weaving from abaca still surives. Inthe Visayas, the Ilongo 'Hablon' isbeing revived as it finds popular usein the sartorial elegance of highfashion. The same can be said of a native textile derived from wildpineapple plant which is also gainingpopular demand with the acceptanceof 'Barong Pilipino' in formal socialfunctions here and abroad. FromMindanao, the lost art of hip loomweaving was revived through theactive intervention of NACIDA andthe sisters of Notre Dame. Today,weaving bearing the ethinic patternsof the Yakans, the Tausogs, theMaranaos, and the Maguindanaos arefinding popular use among thefashion-conscious youth in urbancenters.

Bamboo is abundant all over thePhilippines. But the designs, quality,uses and aplications vary, too, withgeography. The single majorinfluence in the development ofbamboocraft in the Philippines havebeen the Japanese. When some ofthe facilities were turned over by theGovernment of Japan to theGovernment of the Philippines, theynot only involved physical plants andfacilities but also included anexchange of scholarship programsdesigned to improve skills amongFilipino technicians and artisans. Inaddition, JICA, through thePhilippine National VolunteerCoordinating Center, also set up a comprehensive bamboocraft pilotproject in the province of Abra sometime in the late 70s. The projectincluded techniques ranging from theselection and cultivation of bamboo,processing and finishing, and

adaptation of designs, uses andapplications of bamboo.

As part of its program fordecentralizing research anddevelopment facilities, the NACIDAestablished the BamboocraftTechnology Center in Batac, IlocosNorte. Another rich source ofbamboo and bamboo products isIloilo and Cotabato. To a largeextent, and mainly through the effortof NACIDA, standardization in thequality of finished products has beenachieved especially for those so-calledtable top items. Of late, the use ofbamboo furniture is becomingpopular, but a major drawback is inthe quality of bamboo skin as well asin the technology for extraction ofthe bamboo resin. Quality dependson the culture and cultivation ofbamboo, technology depends on theprocessing, finishing, andpreservation of bamboo.

Another very popular Philippinehandicraft are accesories made ofseashell. Although different varietiesof seashells abound in thePhilippines, the state of the art inshelkraft production can be found inthe island province of Cebu,especially in cottage industry shopslocated in and around CebuMetropolis. The artisans of Cebuhave evolved sophistication in designand workmanship which make theirproducts among the most desiredhigh fashion accesory items.

Mat weaving, too, is finding newuses and applications. Combinedwith other natural and artificialmaterials and with avant-garde andcontemporary designs, mat weavinghas found acceptance as high fashion

personal accessories. Hats wovenfrom buntal are still among the bestworldwide, and the market demandfor this product has indicated a steady position in the internationalmarket. There are other naturalmaterials in common use such asburi, pandan, tikiw, and bamboo.Dyeing and weaving patterns alsodiffer, depending on the ethnic tribeand geographic location.

Another product that has remainedstable in the international market isclay which is also found in largequantities and in varying types andqualities all over the Philippines.Kaolin of the highest grade can befound in the province of Sorsogon inBicol. More signinficantly, the nativeart of manufacturing items fromnatural clay is highly developed inthe Ilocos region. The quality of itsblack clay and its ethnic design areseen in the 'Burnay' jars of varioussizes and forms. These items arehighly desired accents for homedecors.

In Bacolod City in the island ofNegros, NACIDA has also helpedartists and artisans to come together.They produced an altogether new artform, contemporary paintings onglazed ceramic plates. NACIDA alsoencouraged the development of a fledgeling ceramics industry duringthe mid-70s. Today, Bacolod pottersproduce glazed and unglazedceramics products primarily for useas accents in home decor in FirstWorld markets. In Los Banos,laguna, there are artists and artisansworking on clay and ceramics as anart form. In general, the craft ofmaking pots, pans, and othercontainers and utensils from clay is

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common anywhere in the Philippines.The variables are in the state of theart, in the quality of the clay, and inthe technique of glazing.

Wood carving is highly developedin three areas. For cooking andeating utensils, the most popularwares are those from the Cordilleratribal artisans. For carved figuresand decorative items for home use,craftsmen from Pampanga andLaguna are most sought after. Onthe other hand, wood carving as anart form is most advanced amongcarvers in the town of Paete inLaguna as well as in Agnono, Rizal.

But the woodcraft industry isconfronted with a governmentlogging ban. Consequently, the artand the techniques in woodcraftproduction suffer.

Brassware is basically a Maranaw artform. The Maranaws are Muslimtribes located in Central Mindanao.For a time, the primary sources ofbrass were melted down cartridgecasings. Today, the artisans engagedin brassware strongly needgovernment intervention, specificallyin the sourcing of brassware sheets.For a time, this problem wasresolved when the nationalgovernment, through the CottageIndustry Development Enterprise(CIDE), imported the raw materialsand redistributed these at cost toindividual firms.

PROSPECTS FOR PHILIPPINEHANDICRAFTS

The consumption forecasts in the firstworld markets for handicraftedpersonal items indicate an upwardtrend. But the demand patterns are

seen to be changing. The advancesin technology, especially in the fieldof composite and resin materials, aregiving way to new designs, uses, andapplications. This especially holdstrue in the demand for personalitems and fashion accessories. Theemerging trend points to a mix-useof ethnic and contemporary designconcepts that combine natural andartificial materials in the finishedproducts.

There is a pressing need to protectpreserve and encourage traditionalhandicraft products. Some time inthe future, as traditional art formsbecome rare, the value of handicraftitems of the traditional way will beat a premium. Present marketindicators seem to show that theseevents are taking place. Artisansmust be preserved as nationaltreasures if only to preserve thesetraditional art and crafts.

In the Philippines, there is evidenceto indicate that the sources ofethnic and indigenous handicraftsare themselves threatended by theinroads of modern technology.First, environmental degradationsare starting to encroach onindigenous sources of rawmaterials. The spread of urbanlifestyles, coupled with advances incommunications technology as wellas access to manufactured goods,are eroding rural or nativelifestyles. For some reason, theadvertising media seems to haveleft a residual message ofpsychological inferiority that placesnative cultures and lifestyles at a risk of becoming extinct. Alongwith it, the handicrafts, tools andimplements which support these

communities are likely to vanish.The basic art and skills required forproducing these handcrafted goodsare handed down from onegeneration to another through someform of aprenticeship. Unless theseparticular cultural heritages arepreserved and documented, allthese arts and skills can be lostforever. These issues are at the topon NACIDA's agenda. But atpresent, there is no other agency ofthe government that has beenempowered to absorb these functions.

Within the last ten years, public andfiscal policies have been directedtowards industrializing thePhilippines economy. Despite such a direction, the country still remainsbasically agricultural. Some 65% ofthe Philippine population is found inthe rural countryside which are stillsuffering from backwardness andunderdevelopment. Farmingactivities are the primary, if not theonly, source of family income.Agricultural practices are basicallymarginal considering that some 90%of landholdings are small farm lots.A high percentage of theagricultural labor force isunderemployed. Opportunities forinvestments are low if not nil.Likewise, locally sourced surplusincome to generating capitalformation is next to none.

In the same manner, the absence ofbasic development infrastractures inthe rural areas such ascommunications facilities, bankingservices, roads reliable powerservices, serve as a major disincentiveto the inflow of investment forinitiating economic activities outsideof primary agricultural production.

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RECENT TRENDS IN PHILIPPINEHANDICRAFT INDUSTRIES

The business of handicrafts andfolkcrafts in the Philippines hasproven itself in the export market,earnings which double in digitsfrom years 1985 - 1991. Datagathered from the PhilippineChamber of Handicraft Industriesindicates that in 1985 handicraftsales amounted to US$ 149m;US$ 320m in 1990 and US$ 344m in1991. Earnings gained wereattributed to the Philippinegovernment's aggressive marketingcampaign to design and developnew products for the world market.Agencies like the Department ofTrade and Industry, CITEM,Technology & Livelihood ResourceCenter, Product Development andDesign Center of the Philippines,CITC, etc. contribute to increasingdemands of Philippine handicrafts inthe United States, Japan, Germanyand the United Kingdom. Significantgrowth in sales are noted incountries in the Europeancommunity. Philippine exports ofChristmas decorations alone haveincreased by leaps and bounds overthe past five years due to thefoothold established in all majormarkets for Christmas decorationsabroad, according to the Bureau ofExport Trade Promotion's consumermanufactures division. FromJanuary to September 1991,Christmas decorations have alreadychalked up US $39,423 million. Theavailability of indigenous rawmaterials which could be adoptedin the production process, the lowcost of skilled labor not to mentionthe ingenuity of the Filipinocraftsmen are the major factors whichhave largely contributed to the

impressive growth of our Philippinecraft exports.

The typical picture of a middle classFilipino housewife in her dustertaking care of the children, doinghouse chores and whiling the timeaway until the man of the housecomes home no longer holds truetoday. Philippine women discoveredwhat potentials they had with theirhands. These women are nowworking as seamstresses, handicraftmakers and designers to sproutingcommunity based businesses. Theywork on any available raw materials,and while scanning the pages of

available craft magazines, they turnto create items like Christmas decors,ceramics, papier mache products,quilts, stuffed toys, and bags. Theyalso sub-contract jobs from othermanufacturers.

Government and non-governmentinstitutions alike have taken notice ofthe mushrooming of these livelihoodcenters. To serve as inspiration andreward for the efforts these peoplehave, fundings have been madeavailable to increase production. Toname a few: the Philippine NationalBank pushes lending to thecountryside and continues to offervarious lending packages to smalland medium scale businesses tostimulate economic activities like its'Pangkabuhayanng Bayan' project;the Development Bank of thePhilippines has recently approved a P-6 million credit facility to ensuregrowth and development of thelocal footwear and leathergoodsmanufacturing sector; the approvalof a PI .2 million financial assistanceextended by the Private Investmentand Trade Opportunities—Philippines

to exporters and sub-contractors offashion accessories in Cebu.

President Corazon C. Aquino's 1991State of the Nation address tacklescongress' part in two significant billssigned into law which could help thehandicraft industry particularly in thesmall and medium scale enterprises- RA 6477, the Magna Carta forSmall Enterprises and RA 6810, theKalakalan 20. But after the billswere signed into law, nothing hasbeen heard. It is hoped that in thefuture, our lawmakers will take intoaccount the value of handicrafts andfolkcrafts in our society.

CONCLUSIONSOutside of tilling the soil, the onlyother profitable enterprise engaged inat the farm level is the production ofhandicrafted items fashioned fromindigenous materials for householduse. Those who have eventuallyproved to be excellent in their craftshave ended up as suppliers to theneeds of their community, andeventually those of other outlyingtowns. The process has been tediousand slow. With no two productsbeing exactly the same. Productionwas cyclical and moved incounterflow with the planting season.

Traditions die hard. The continuingdemand for handcrafted indigenoushousehold goods and other personalitems, even from among urbanizedcity folks, supported the emergenceof home-based cottage industries inthe rural sector. As past andcurrent experiences have shown,there is a growing demand in theFirst World market for high qualityhandcrafted items with ethnic ornative flavor. The consumption

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rates for handicrafts from the ThirdWorld countries are not showingsigns of diminshing. Actualdemands indicate a resurgence ofhandcrafted goods especially with theadvent of new applied technologiesin processing and the variety ofavailable artificial materials to workwith.

The impact of the presence of a cashgenerator, like the viable cottageindustry in a cash-starved ruralagricultural environment is easilyseen and appreciated. It is withinthis setting that economic conceptslike trickle-down effect and multiplierimpact are best illustrated.

Based on records available fromNACIDA, cottage industries haveproved very effective in generatingjobs and alternative sources ofincome for rural communities. Onthe average, it takes an investmentof some P 1,500 per individual tocreate new job opportunities in thecottage industries sector. Theimpact of viable cottage industrieson the local economy is there forall of us to see. At the height ofthe government's rebel-returneerehabilitation program, cottage

industries were among the keyeconomic tools for developing jobsand alternative income sources.Despite the efforts to erase cottageindustries from the officialnomenclature of the DTI, the factremains that handicrafts which aremanufactured by individualentrepreneurs from productionfacilities located in their communitiesoutside population centers rankhighly among the country's top non-traditional exports.

Today, with unemployment ratessoaring high, with the population ofthe urban centers bursting at theseams, with rural economies mired inpoverty and under-development, itmay be wise for the presentgovernment to reconsider its positionrelative to the promotion of cottageindustries vis-a-vis the development ofthe rural economies as an alternativeapproach to its industrializationagenda. For the past experienceshave already proved that thePhilippine handcrafted industrieswhich have already penetrated theinternational market still have a verystrong fighting chance against anyproduct of similar import in theworld of business.

REFERENCES

1. DIMAAMO, ART C. Marketingand Promotion of Handicrafts. A paper presented to the SPAFATraining Program, December 1991.Manila, Philippines.

2. DUMLAO, HERMENIGILDO C.Philippine Handicrafts in Perspective.A paper presented to the SPAFATraining Program, October 1991.Manila, Philippines.

3. LIMCAOCO, J. ANDRES A. RuralDevelopment Experience and PolicyDirections in the Philippines. RuralDevelopment in Asia and the Pacific.ADB April 1985.

4. ONGPIN, ROBERTO V. Exports:Focus On Non-TraditionalManufactured Goods. The FookienTimes Philippines Yearbook. 1983-1984.

5. PERALTA, RENATO MA. R. LightCottage Industries Strategies forDevelopment. NACIDA, 1982.

6. PINESA, ERLINDA H. et. al.Cottage Industries in Central Luzon : An Exploratory Study. NACIDARegion H, 1985.

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