Inabanga's Longest Woven Raffia

Inabanga is a municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. Livelihood in the area is mainly trading, fishing, farming and nipa thatch-making. Others are into weaving of saguran, mats, blankets, hats, bags and basket using materials such as 'buli' or raffia. This town's century-old raffia weaving tradition takes center stage in this article from Inquirer Visayas.


Bohol town targets ‘longest’ handwoven raffia
By Kit Bagaipo, Chito A. Fuentes, 5/25/09 Inquirer Visayas

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol—To gain recognition for its century-old raffia weaving tradition, the town of Inabanga, once the cradle of the Philippines’ longest revolt against the Spaniards, will soon roll out the longest handwoven raffia and secure its claim as the home of highly skilled and artistic raffia weavers.

Locally known as “buli,” raffia weaving was introduced to Inabanga in the early 1800s during the time of the revolutionary Francisco Dagohoy. The woven fabrics were then used as sleeping mats and guerrilla uniforms.

On May 19, Inabanga launched its bid for the world’s longest continuous woven raffia fabric—a project that costs P300,000. The completion of the 1.6-kilometer product is expected by June 29, a day before its annual feast, Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy said.

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Danao sets good example for other Bohol towns

Danao is a 5th class municipality in Region VII, specifically Bohol province, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 17,716 people.

This story from the business section of Philippine Inquirer extols upon the efforts of a man and a foreign organization to raise the living standards and improve the life of the locals of this town.

Turnaround time for Danao, Bohol
By Elizabeth Lolarga, 5/16/09 Phil. daily Inquirer

WHEN ASISCLO “Boy” Gonzaga, a farmer’s son, left Magtangtang, Danao, Bohol, to study in the big city, it was a sleepy rural agricultural town.

Decades later, he returned to Magtangtang a successful engineer and electric power distributor, and he was aghast to see that the barangay (village) of his childhood had remained the same, as did the people’s values.

His wife Natividad said: “The thinking then was, have as many children as you can. That way, you can send some of your daughters to Manila as maids, and they can remit money back to you.”

Social worker Dahlia N. Montecina, who was assigned to Danao after graduating from St. Theresa’s College in Cebu City, said that when she first entered the town in 2004, the sights that greeted her were of men playing tong-its (a card game) or mahjong, men drinking and idle women gossiping by the roadside.

Fortunately, those scenes are slowly disappearing, mainly due to the setting up of the Jose L. Gonzaga Farmers’ Foundation Inc. (JLGFFI) and the entry of the Australia Business Volunteers (ABV), a nongovernment, nonprofit international development agency with 5,000 assignments done in 15 countries.

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