DAVAO, an anchor tourist destination which is also called the Orchard of the Philippines, is endowed with variety of picturesque landscapes, its rich culture, abundant natural resources, forests, wildlife sanctuary and the magnificent presence of Mt. Apo. It has an enchanting brilliant tapestry, woven from the diverse cultural threads of its people. In Davao, it also brings together the many traditional elements from the many cultures who call Davao City home.
The “My City, My SM, My Crafts” project will show how Dabawenyos love their culture and crafts. From the bago-bago vine from Agusan, to the traditional fabrics, pearls and exquisite beads, to the abaca and banana fiber, to the plastic straw made into bags, to the inab’l and umpak, Davao indeed a place to celebrate traditional art.
This is what mall goers discovered when My City, My SM, My Crafts recently made its stop at SM City Davao. A joint project of SM, Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Bureau of Domestic Trade, and the Philippine Star with support from Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), it is a celebration of traditional arts and modern Philippine design in the cities where SM has malls.
No less than the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Davao Region Director Art Boncato, DTI Director Teolulo Pasawa, City Tourism Officer Lisette Marques, NCCA Bagobo Cluster head Datu Elmo Laidan, and Malaysian Embassy Consul General Zawawi Tahir attended the event. They were welcomed by SM officials led by SM VP for Marketing Millie Dizon, AVP for Marketing Russel Alaba, and SM City Davao’s mall manager Lynette Lopez.
The program, which included a video presentation featuring the crafts of Davao with Ian Garcia as the guide and a Bagobo dance performance by the Bagobo Tagabawa group from Toril District. A fashion show featuring beautiful intricately hand-woven costumes representing the three Bagobo subgroups namely Obo, Klata, and Tagabawa. The Bagobos are considered the most colorful people of the Philippines, heavily embroidering their abaca clothing with beads and stitchwork. They also produce fine metal craft, working in brass, bronze, and iron, and are known for their betel boxes. The constant jingling of innumerable tiny brass bells attached to the clothing is a Bagobo trademark.
One of the program highlights was the awarding of the winner of the lamp-making contest made of indigenous materials with workshop participants in competition. Loryne C. Bongabong bested the other contestants with her three-lamp ensemble utilizing indigenous materials like paper from banana fiber and abaca rope, with bead accents for which she received P5,000 worth of gift certificates.
Judges included Boncato, Marques, Pasawa, and Mindanao Commission on Women’s Patmei Ruivivar.
The My City, My SM, My Crafts centerpiece was clearly the Craft Market inspired by the traditional Maranao house.
This beautifully designed showcase was a treasure trove of the best of the best crafts in the province, and was an instant hit among SM City Davao shoppers.
The Craft Market included throw pillows, notebooks, and accessories made of banana and abaca fiber from Tadeco, beautifully designed traditional elegant bags from Crystal Seas, crocheted colorful bags made of plastic straw from Yvette’s Bags and Beads Collection, wine holders, vases, and trays made of vines from Maria Vinecraft, woodcrafts from the Pablo survivors of Compostela, and the weavings by Salinta Monon, NCCA Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee.
My City, My SM, My Crafts is a take-off from the previous My City, My SM campaign, which promotes tourism, and My City, My SM, My Cuisine, which highlights the culinary specialties in cities were SM has malls.
A celebration of traditional arts and modern Philippine design, it aims to showcase the best of the best Philippine crafts in each host city, providing livelihood opportunities, as well as a platform for cultural exchange.
The celebration was also made possible with the help of the Davao Museum, Davao Ecocrafts Store, Park Inn by Radisson, and Homecrest.