While I was about to end my Saturday bike ride, I passed by the city plaza on my way to a friend’s store to have coffee. I also happened to pass by the Capiz provincial capitol and saw this row of small stores with a big banner with the words “Maragtas Souvenirs” emblazoned above the stores. My curiosity was picked and I decided to stop.
One by one I checked out the stores and what they had to offer. One store was selling art products made from Capiz shells. The lanterns and figurines are quite good and I should say export quality, Unfortunately, I was not able to take some pictures but I’ll be back to take some.
I saw some stores selling handicrafts and man-made art crafts that will surely delight some of our visitors this coming CAPIZtahan starting April 14 to May 1, 2023.
Two stalls got my attention. The first one is a store that is selling handmade items from what we call “People Deprived of Liberty”. Their artworks are of good quality and usable like the wooden clocks which I think are export quality.
The face of the clocks is made from driftwood and pieces of lumber that we usually think are no longer usable. The finish and fine and I think was painstakingly rubbed and brushed to a nice sheen and texture. It is a must-buy if you happen to drop by the stores.
I also took some fancy to handcrafted bracelets, made by the PDLs with organic and sustainable materials found in the province. I bought two.
The bracelets are a good buy for 35 pesos each.
If you are into native pieces and organic materials for your accessories, I would suggest you visit their stall.
The other shop wherein I spent a lot of time is the one being maintained by our brothers the indigenous people of Panay island and Capiz, we call them the Panay Bukidnon. They are also called the Suludnon, also known as the Pan-ayanon, or Tumandok. They can be found living in the Capiz-Lambunao mountainous area and the Antique-Iloilo mountain area of Panay in the Visayan islands of the Philippines. They are a culturally indigenous Visayan group of people on the island of Panay.
I found their art crafts very colorful and native in design.
The garments that they are showcasing are made from modern shirts but the designs are very unique and striking.
You could see the effort and age-old craft of their embroidery style.
I talked to Tumandok who is in charge of the store during that time about the shirts and designs. Romel Castor, told me that the base shirts are modern shirts they buy from the local market but the designs are inspired by their group and the style of embroidery is handed down from generation to generation.
According to him, depending on the style and design, it takes him a minimum of one day to finish 1 design on a shirt.
He is currently embroidering traditional attire and he told me that it is already his third day working on the garment.
I liked the shirts and decided to buy one. This is the shirt I bought from Mr Castor.
Overall, I enjoyed my time talking to the stall keepers and looking at their products. Although I can only see about 5 to 8 stalls, I know that this is a good start of something big soon.
Tourism in the province of Capiz should involve these small businesses because not only do they carry the name of Capiz but also the culture and the people of the province which are not only talented but loving, caring and most of all with a big and beautiful heart.
If you want to contact the shop owners here are their details:
Romel L. Castor of Brgy. Minan, Tapaz Capiz – 09702520757 – Indigenous products
Ernie A. Olendo Paseo de Roxas – 09306386306 – PDL products and other handicrafts and artworks
Vicente F. Gonzales III is a professional SEO specialist and a digital marketer. He also happens to be an accomplished content writer, website designer and digital strategist. Vicente's clients love him for his unwavering dedication to their success, as well as his witty, intelligent demeanor. When he's not helping businesses achieve their online marketing goals, Vicente can be found reading up on the latest SEO trends or spending time with his wife and two young children.
