Poetry on your sleeve
Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery: Paghabül sa Antique
Have you read poetry written in threads, punctuated by color and texture? Poetry isn’t just recited; it is expressed in more than words.
For Sen. Loren Legarda, who literally wears her poetry on her sleeve, textile isn’t just for wear, it’s for wondering — about who we are as a people, where we came from and the ties that bind us.
“Yes, textile is poetry of every fiber that binds us as a nation,” she said when I asked her if fabric is poetry that we wear, at the opening of the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery: Paghabül sa Antique at the Old Capitol Building in San Jose de Buenavista. Paghabül means “woven fabric.” Legarda is known for her longstanding work in promoting Philippine culture and heritage.
Now permanently housed at the restored Old Capitol Building, the gallery presents the province’s weaving traditions, which have been passed down through generations and existed long before colonial times.
The four-term Antiqueña senator also emphasized how heritage can serve as a pathway to sustainable development and empowerment at the community level. For Legarda, the establishment of the gallery in the restored Old Capitol Building transforms a historical landmark into a living cultural space that honors Antique’s past while grounding its weaving traditions in the present.
“The restoration of this Old Capitol building is my way of showing my kasimanwa that progress does not mean letting go of the past. It means embracing it, honoring it, and building on it,” said Legarda, the author of the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law.
“Giving life to culture is giving life to every Filipino. Because for every facet of arts and culture that we give importance to, there is a community that is given an identity, livelihood and dignity,” said Legarda who consistently chooses to wear local fabric in her official and formal functions. She has supported weaving communities across the country through the provision of raw materials, equipment, and capacity-building programs.
She said she considers the opening of the gallery “a triumph” and the fulfillment of a dream.
“I have long dreamed of this moment— bringing home to Antique a space where our textiles, the hands that till the land to produce raw materials, and the skilled people who weave them are honored and preserved. A space that not only holds the ingenuity of Antiqueños, but also uplifts livelihoods and affirms identities,” she said.
There are several flourishing weaving communities in Antique. Each community uses a variety of fibers such as abaca, cotton, silk and the most prominent of all, piña (pineapple fiber). In Barangay Bagtason in Bugasong, Antique, the yano (plain weave) and the pinilian (with inserted or embroidered design) are two varieties of the handwoven textile.
Tibiao in Antique also produces fabrics woven from piña. In the highlands of Antique, the Iraynon Bukidnon are indigenous Filipinos known for their embroidery tradition called panubok. Their traditional attire and ornaments are embellished with panubok, featuring combinations of flora and fauna as well as stories of characters from their chants, memorized through generations.
Next time I wear local fabric, I know I am wearing a blend of past, present and future — because these weaves will only be sustained if those create them in the present are bestowed a future.
As Legarda stressed, “I believe that when a community loses its culture, it also loses its soul. And no nation can truly move forward if its people are disconnected from the very threads that strengthen their identity.
You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.
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