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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lower House honors Manlilikha ng Bayan Fu Yabing who died at age 106

Lower House honors Manlilikha ng Bayan Fu Yabing who died at age 106

Published Feb 4, 2021 09:26 pm

Congressmen led by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco are mourning the passing  of South Cotabato’s famed traditional master weaver and “Manlilikha ng Bayan” awardee Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo.

Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo

Velasco and several solons filed resolutions expressing the profound condolences of the House of Representatives on the death of the popular weaver.

The deceased tribal leader passed away last January 26 at the age of 106.  

She was called Fu Yabing within her communit due to her status as a respected elder of the B’laan tribe.

“Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo’s artistry, knowledge, talent, passion, and advocacy has made her an important cultural bearer for the B’laan tribe and inspired a new generation to preserve the B’laan textile and clothing tradition, and the death of such a beloved and respected elder and artist is an immense and profound loss not only to her family and her community, but to our country and the Filipino people as well,” Velasco said in House Resolution (HR) No. 1540.

HR1540 was consolidated with two other related resolutions and adopted by the Lower House during Wednesday’s session.

Velasco said Fu Yabing was hailed as “The Last Mabal Tabih Weaver” and a champion and prime advocate for the preservation of the B’laan Mabal Tabih, or the art of ikat weaving and dyeing using plant species endemic to the Philippines, such as the abaca.

Acclaimed for her “peerless mastery of the B’laan traditional textile,” Fu Yabing started weaving at a very young age as an apprentice weaver and gaining knowledge from her mother, who was also a master weaver.

 Her exemplary skills in Mabal Tabih are a product of decades of dedication towards honing her craft.

Her skills in weaving and embroidery are so remarkable that her works are considered as masterpieces for their complexity, intricate beauty and reflection of the culture and heritage of the B’laan tribe, and one of her Mabal Tabih pieces is on display at the Philippine National Museum.

In 2005, Fu Yabing served as the first ever Cultural Master for the B’laan Weaving School of Living Tradition Project funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts at Sitio Lamlifew, Barangay Datal Tampal in the town of Malungon, Sarangani province. Afterwards, she started her own School of Living Tradition in Polomolok, South Cotabato, teaching and promoting the B’laan tradition of ikat weaving and dyeing.

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