“BANIG,” a mat woven from pandan leaves, is not only a product of the intricate weaving process known as “paglala,” but a way of life for the people of Badian town in southwestern Cebu.
To celebrate and preserve this cultural heritage, the municipality of Badian successfully held its 24th Banig Weaving Contest on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
The event gathered 15 weavers at the Badian Training Center to showcase their skills and creativity.
Badian Public Information Officer Earl Endab said the banig making is already part of the town’s identity. Various banig products are displayed and sold in the town’s public markets, known to be visited by the locals and those from nearby towns.
“Banig plays a pivotal role in the municipality as an economic driver of its tourism and cultural assets,” Endab told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano in an interview over Facebook Messenger on Friday, July 19.
Competition
The banig-weaving competition was part of the local government unit’s (LGU) initiative as part of its 24th Banig Festival celebration.
This year’s competition was divided into two categories: Banig Mat Design and Banig Innovative Product, highlighting the town’s main product, banig, as the main material for bags, hats and other accessories.
The products from the recently concluded competition are now on display and available for order.
Endab said prices vary depending on the sizes and designs of the products, especially the mats, as they are customized.
The prices of the banig mats range from P500 to P1,000 depending on the size and design. Bags range from P400 to P800, while accessories like hats, earrings and necklaces vary from P50 to P200.
The winners, who will be announced on Saturday, July 20, will receive cash prizes of P5,000, P3,000, and P2,000, from first to third place, respectively.
Endab said those interested in buying banig products can find the products on display in Badian’s Public Market.
Support
Endab said the town started the Banig Festival in 2000, although programs for banig weavers had been established even earlier.
As of now, the town has documented more than 80 banig weavers. It has also been continuously coordinating with other agencies for product development training.
In 2022, the LGU started to allocate around 12 percent of its budget from tourism and culture to extend programs and training for the banig industry.
This translates to P1 million worth of funding for training and capacity building where the Banig industry is included and other programs in the tourism and cultural sector in the town.
“They are motivated since we closely coordinate with the Department of Trade and Industry, and recently, we were also visited by the Philippine Fiber Development Authority to help us develop technology together with the Department of Science and Technology to speed up the process of banig weaving,” said Endab in Cebuano. / CDF