Monday, November 20, 2006 Mascota de Zamboanga By Id Acaylar
AT FIRST I thought "mascota" was some sort of a mascot or a mask. I was corrected by Dr. Roberto Torres, the dean of fashion designers in Zamboanga and a professor at the Western Mindanao State University.
From his forthcoming NCCA commissioned book Mascota: The Evolution of Design Patterns from Zamboanga Costume, I have learned what it really is.
The "mascota" is a "traje de alta sociedad," finery for women in high society. Believed to be of Spanish origin, it was worn by Zamboangueñas and I suspect also by other Filipinas during special occasions at the turn of the 20th century.
The dress has two parts comprised of several items. The upper part pertains to the blouse with finished hemline at the waist, a quarter moon or boat-shape neckline and a pair of butterfly or bell sleeves.
Over the blouse, a stiffened "panuelo" called "candongga" is donned. Underneath the blouse, a "corpiño" or half chemise is worn especially in the olden days when the blouses were made of flimsy or see-through materials like "sinamay" and "cañamaso."
The lower part is a biased cut skirt with a trailing tail, which is popularly known as "saya de cola." Wrapped around the skirt is a "tapis" referred to by Zamboangueñas as "sobre falda."
Underneath is "enaguas," a long half-slip that is normally embroidered or embellished with lace. It is revealed when the skirt is raised and gathered on the waist.
When a Zamboangueña wears her mascota complete with accessories that may include a "payneta" (a hair piece), "argollas" (dangling tambourine earrings), an "abanico" (Spanish fan) and a pair of beaded or embroidered footwear, she is said to be "prendida." Meaning, she is well-dressed and glamorous.
The proud Zamboangueños did not want to lose this custom, which they claimed to be their own. So four years ago, the late Mayor Caling Lobregat and the city's tourism officer, Sarita S. Hernandez, instituted the Mascota Competition.
This year I feel fortunate to be invited to judge the competition together with Barge Ramos, an accomplished Manila fashion designer and columnist acclaimed for his innovative barong tagalog creations, and Myra Valderrosa Abubakar, the granddaughter of the first mayor of Zamboanga City. She was Miss Zamboanga 1986 and very recently, the Miss United Nations 2006 of Soroptimist International.
The final presentation was held at the old Fort Pilar. It was invitational and everybody came "prendida." The models were radiant. The mascotas were all elegant.
The ambience was nostalgic. It was indeed an enchanted evening. But to me, as a judge, it was also a difficult one.
It was not easy selecting the best among 10 beautiful entries considering that the dress structure was the same. Nevertheless, my top three choices became the winners.
Awarded with first prize was the only wedding gown entry of Federico Navarro that ingeniously utilized a pure white yakan weave and muslin brass buttons. The second prize winner was the creation of a medical doctor, Ben Jason Caranay. What caught my attention were the skirts that dropped and flowed freely and the fine woven raffia used for the blouse and the candongga.
The third prize went to the black lace mascota of Joe Harris Kari made attractive by multicolored floral appliqués done from fibered fabrics. I was dazzled, and fascinated of Zamboanga City's rich and pronouncedly mixed culture.
Its strong affinity to history made Zamboangueños proud and desirous to preserve and develop their cultural heritage. Pachada gayot!
