GUAGUA, Pampanga -- Mayor Dante Torres and Presidential Merit Awardee for Ecclesiastical Art Willy Layug are working on the possibility of introducing woodcarving among public schools in Guagua's Betis District.
Layug said this is to address the dwindling number of sculptors in the town, and to provide training opportunities for younger generations who would like to go into wood sculpture.
He lamented that few younger people are going into the trade, adding that there is also less attention toward continuing education of woodcarvers as artists rather than mere craftsmen.
Woodcarving is a major craft and cottage industry for people in Guagua's Betis District.
Betis district is a collection of barangays that once formed the town of Betis, an area known for finely crafted furniture and ecclesiastical art, mostly wood carvings for church decorations and religious images.
Torres said there is a need to reconnect the younger generation with the wood carving tradition of the Betis District. He said the tradition is failing due to the lack of a formal mentoring system to ensure that skills are passed on to the next generation of craftsmen and artists.
"We are now talking with local education leaders and we hope to start soon with at least a program for an entire school year," Layug said.
Recently, the Layugs and SM City Pampanga hosted a free clay sculpting seminar for Guagua high school students. Clay sculpting is the basic discipline before going into wood sculpting.