LOCAL woodcarving stakeholders will be hosting another “Dukit Festival” to promote woodcarving and attract tourist attention into the different artistic disciplines of the woodcarving industry in Guagua, Pampanga.

The event will be held at Sta. Ursula Betis in Guagua and is expected to be participated in by the best woodcarvers of the district in the last quarter of the year.

The woodcarving activity is expected to supplement an earlier wood carving event hosted by the Municipal Government.

Interested participants are requested to coordinate with the Municipal Government or with the local wood guilds of Betis district.

The event is mostly a private sector initiative led by the Wood Carvers Guild of Sta. Ursula Betis and the Woodcarvers of Betis Multipurpose Cooperative with the strong support of Mayor Dante Torres.

Presidential Merit Awardee for Ecclesiastical Art Willy Layug said the activity aims to attract more of the younger generation into woodcarving.

“We hope to make this a community event eventually in the coming years. We will start by organizing the ranks of woodcarvers, furniture makers and religious art makers,” Layug said, adding that woodcarving will be celebrated for its contribution to the community and providing an avenue for livelihood and creative output of the residents.

The Betis District of Guagua is known for its woodcarving industry that has grown from furniture, religious and installation art.

Woodcarving has become a major industry in Guagua, generating millions each year. However, Layug lamented that fewer younger people are going into the trade, adding there are also less attention toward the continuing education of woodcarvers as artists rather than mere craftsmen.

“The event hopes to highlight the creative and artistic aspect of the craft and attract more people into this art form. We hope also hope to bring woodcarving here into a whole new level and bring more attention towards education and improvement of skills of woodcarvers and attract tourists and buyers,” Layug said.