News Feature

Aklan’s piña handloom weaving threads its way as a UNESCO cultural heritage

by Trisha Anne Nabor

The pride of the Aklanons is also the pride of the nation.

Last December 5, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Piña Handloom Weaving of the Aklan province into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) celebrated the inscription in a press conference held on December 11 at the Metropolitan Theater Ballroom in Ermita, Manila.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

The Piña Handloom Weaving

Known locally as piña, the Philippine pineapple textile weaves beautiful garments from the fibers of the pineapple plant using a handloom. Due to the thread’s durability, Aklanon weavers use the Red Spanish Pineapple variety as a vital ingredient in making fiber. It is one of the country’s most recognized handwoven fabrics used as a key material in formal attire, finery, and other objects often embroidered or painted on.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

A primary livelihood particularly in the provincial capital of Kalibo, the knowledge and skills of piña handloom weaving are generally passed down through families and Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) established by local communities in collaboration with the government.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

A celebration of the Aklanon people and culture

The event, honoring the Aklanon people and culture, was filled with gratitude to UNESCO and everyone involved in the inscription. It celebrated the craft and tradition of the handwoven piña or pineapple textile of Aklan.

The inscription marked the first-ever intangible cultural heritage (ICH) element from the Philippines in traditional craftsmanship and the first ICH from the Visayas region. Overall, it is the fifth Filipino ICH element to be inscribed, following the Ifugao hudhud chants and punnuk ritual, the Meranaw Darangen epic, and the Subanen buklog ritual, which were all inscribed on the separate List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

NCCA chair Viktorino Manalo opens the event, mentioning the rich production of the piña weaving industry in the country and the tedious process behind the nomination for the inscription. “I hope we also remember the cultural values that come with piña. Who piña stands for and what piña stands for,” he said.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

Senate president pro tempore and known culture and arts advocate Loren Legarda was also in attendance, sworn to continue working with the agencies to further promote and empower the Filipino culture. She proposed Senate Bill No. 624, also known as the “Linangan ng Likhang Bayan Bill”, which aims to establish an institute for Living Traditions like the Piña Handloom Weaving.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

She plans to continue working with the agencies and local government units (LGUs) to assist the artisans, enhance the SLTs, and promote facilities like weaving centers, and natural dye and processing centers. Establishing pineapple farms and fiber extraction facilities will also be her priority as the government aims to improve the weaving industry in other provinces, such as in Aklan’s neighboring areas — Antique and Capiz.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro acknowledged everyone involved in the inscription, emphasizing the documentation team who worked on the ground for nearly a decade, gathering data and materials to achieve a successful and expertly written nomination for the ICH in UNESCO.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

Aklan province governor Jose Enrique Miraflores considered the inscription a “very momentous milestone”, which further showed the beauty of the Aklanon people and culture beyond the already famous Boracay island and the Ati-atihan festival.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

The Aklan Piña Handloom Weaving is honored as the people’s official culture, treasure, and the province’s cultural treasure with Ordinances Number 2019–049 and 2021–010. It is also celebrated in the Aklan Piña Fiber festival as part of the province’s celebration day which has already spawned for decades.

As a result of the inscription, the provincial government plans to increase the funding for endeavors promoting the Aklanon craft and tradition next year.

Meanwhile, Cultural master Raquel Eliserio reflected on the inscription being a huge success for the Aklanons. Piña Handloom Weaving is a tradition she inherited from her ancestors and later, shared among her community not just for the sake of livelihood but to preserve the tradition as well. She spent her entire life embracing their tradition, honing her craft, making unique designs, joining national and foreign competitions, and empowering her fellow weavers.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

With passion and deep love for piña, she strives to continue living the tradition of piña weaving to pass it to the next generation’s youth. An emotional Eliserio pleads to the agencies to continue supporting the local weavers as they do their best in loving and protecting the tradition that has already existed for about two centuries.

“Sana po ipagpatuloy niyo ang suporta at nangangako ako na nandito lang para po ipagpatuloy ang aming kultura, ang paghahabi,” she said.

A diverse group of people and workers — farmers, scrapers, knotters, warpers, weavers, traders, and designers — are linked together like a bunch of pineapple fibers to create an epitome of Aklanon traditional craftsmanship. What’s only a livelihood, has grown into a tradition passed down to younger members of the community, fostering a sense of connection, mutual respect, and interdependence among practitioners and bearers.

Photo by: John Emil Flores

Their collective effort has now made a cultural mark for the Philippines and a living heritage for the world that future generations will be proud to look back on.