Mahalin ang ating Kultura: Filipino hospitality, Senator Loren and Kultura souvenirs

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos are known to be some of the most hospitable people in the world. Among the most friendly and welcoming cultures, theirs is an exceptional hospitality that comes from the heart and is extended with a warm smile.

For Filipinos, sharing the best of what they have is an honor and a sign of valued friendship. Guests are served the best meal and given the coziest room in the house. There is no such thing as a bad time to visit.

Apart from family and friends, Filipinos love entertaining foreign guests and enjoy giving them gifts that showcase the beauty of the Philippines.

Senator Loren Legarda’s work brings her in touch with many foreign dignitaries. And like most of us, she takes pride not only in sharing our culture and cuisine to the world, but also in giving gifts that are proudly Filipino.

“I buy my gifts all year round,” she says, “and I always make sure to add a personal note. There’s a sense of happiness that you get in giving.”

She recalls that, “during the memorable visit of Queen Sofia of Spain, one souvenir that I gave her was a photo in a capiz frame from Kultura.”

As the only female senator who topped the Senate race twice, with more than 15 million votes in 1998 and 18.4 million votes in 2007, Senator Loren has been at the forefront of many landmark pieces of legislations. But as chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, it has been her advocacy to revive interest in our culture, heritage and tradition.

Not only has she showcased various traditions of indigenous communities in the country through exhibitions in the Senate — “Isang Habi, Isang Lahi,” “The Mangyans of Mindoro, and Panay:  Memory and Enchantment,” and her most recent initiative, the “Hibla Pavilion of Textiles and Weaves of the Philippines” at the Manila FAME Design and Lifestyle Event 2012; but she also established the country’s first textile galleries, the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles at the National Museum, exhibiting the different weaving traditions in the country.

“Our identity as Filipinos is embedded in our culture,” Senator Loren says. “Our pride in being Filipino fundamentally begins with the awareness of the beauty of the Philippines — the land and its people. This is our heritage, our pamana, which we must pass on to the next generation.”

After all, “We would not be who we are as Filipinos if not for our culture and heritage embodied in the life, arts, crafts, talents and skills of our people.”

During a recent visit to the Kultura Filipino store in SM Makati, Senator Loren found a treasure trove of souvenirs for foreign visitors as well as Filipinos who have lived overseas for some time.

“Kultura’s selection of souvenirs has a wide range of choices that depict the rich culture of the Philippines,” she says.

Her picks? Capiz frames, shawls and hand-woven bags as well as the Mango Chocolate — Cebu’s famous dried mango pieces dipped in dark chocolate that are sold exclusively at Kultura stores.

“My admiration for Philippine textiles is no secret as I established, with the help of the National Museum, the first textile galleries in the Philippines,” she says. “The intricate weaving technique, which varies from one indigenous group to another, is simply awe-inspiring.”
Kultura Filipino’s skillfully crafted products are available in stores located at SM Makati, SM Megamall, the SM Mall of Asia, SM City Cebu, SM Lanang Premier, and in selected SM Stores.