Stories Weaved from the Life of Weaving

Ilocos Sur has been a place known to still practice the magic and tradition of weaving colorful threads into intricately beautiful works of art. Vigan City, in particular, is one of the few places where the industry of weaving still flourishes. Their products ranging from blankets, table runners, placemats, bags, to wallets are often sold mostly as souvenirs for tourists along Calle Crisologo while some are being exported across the globe. While several stories have been made regarding the weaving industry of Vigan, little has been known about the people behind the click-clacking of these hand-weaving machines. And so, we have interviewed one of the weavers in Cristy’s Loomweaving.

Meet Virginia

Virginia Dominguez, a 46-year-old local, shared her life experiences with her work, as well as her hometown, while she was demonstrating to us how the famous abel cloths were made. Aling Virginia has been working in Cristy’s since she was sixteen years old. She describes her daily life as relatively routine. She spends her entire day at Cristy’s spinning cotton threads into several stretches of intricately woven cloth using only wood makeshift weaving frames and a pedal that rotates the thread holder. In the evenings, she goes home and does her chores together with her husband and 2 children.

Living in one of the 7 Wonder Cities, who wouldn’t be proud of living in the heritage city of Vigan? Aling Virginia loves living in Vigan not only because of the countless places to go to, but also because of its peacefulness. She found joy in her simple of way of life which is so different and uncomplicated like the patterns found in her woven fabrics. What she also takes pride in as a local is her distinct line of work where one’s hobby can already become a sustainable source of livelihood:

Marami kasing pasyalan sa Vigan. Tsaka, maganda rin dito sa Vigan, kasi meron kayong pang pastime work, tulad ng weaving. Kasi ito pong weaving, pwede niyo ‘tong pag-aralan at pag natuto kayo at pwede na kayong mag weave ng kahit ano, may nakikita kayo para sa pang araw-araw.

Our Modern-Day Hero’s take on the National Hero

Of course, as our trip was all about the quest for Rizal in the North, we did not miss the chance to ask whether or not Jose Rizal is still relevant in today’s society. When we asked Aling Virginia what she knows about Jose Rizal, she was quick to respond that he was our national hero who was slain in Luneta because of his ardent patriotism. Other than that, she only had a few inklings regarding our national hero. She was not given an opportunity to encounter some of Rizal’s works as she was compelled to stop studying at the age of 13 to help her family make a living. Despite that, she believes that Jose Rizal deserves to be our national hero. For her, Rizal had been of great help to the nation especially through his education stating that he was able to help other people by being an ophthalmologist. Aling Virginia also admires Rizal because of his profound intelligence. She emphasized that Rizal is still relevant in today’s society as he exemplified the significance of education and hard work in achieving one’s aspirations in life.

When asked about Jose Rizal’s famous quote, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan,” Aling Virginia willingly gave out her insights and opinions. She believes that the youth is really the hope of the nation. It is not only because of their young age but also because “sila yung may kapasidad na gumawa ng mga bagay-bagay na makatutulong sa ating bansa.” Quality education, accessibility to information through technology, and the growing interest of sociopolitical awareness, she reckons that the youth can certainly make a difference in society.

Aling Virginia is only one of the people who thrived through the life of weaving. Her life story and personal struggles intertwines with the life of turning threads into exquisite textiles. Aling Virginia, in her own little ways, has helped preserve a portion of our Filipino tradition. She stands as an exemplar that one doesn’t have to get shot in the back or be hanged in public to become a hero – we can become one in in our own little ways.

Like Aling Virginia, by passionately continuing to practice some of our traditions and ways of living, we can contribute to preserving the Filipino culture and live on to tell the stories of our past to our succeeding generations. Like the threads that make up the woven fabrics, we should become one to keep our rich and colorful traditions stronger and more meaningful. And just like the durability and quality of Ilocos’ woven fabrics, despite the harsh conditions we go through as a nation, together, we can stay resilient with time and relentless change.

#hero