Listening to Maria Isabel “Maribel” Ongpin, the chair of HABI: the Philippine Textile Council, promoting the local fabric like Abaca as a “unique part of our identity as Filipinos” touched me with nostalgia.

At the Wednesday launch of the 14th HABI Likhang Market Fair with this year’s theme, “Earth to Loom: Celebrating Natural Dyes in Philippine Textiles,” Ms. Maribel, along with HABI officials Mia Villanueva and Rambie Katrina Lim, brought me down memory lane and pursuing an altogether career path.

That hit me right on the target! It was an Alpha, especially when a video showed the crude way of an indigenous lady from the south of Mindanao extracting organic dye.

The use of natural dyes, which are better for the environment, is a growing trend in many parts of the world, with consumers and creators becoming more conscious of the importance of sustainability.

As Ms Rambie Katrina admitted: “Though we know that not everything in the faire can be dyed naturally or will be dyed naturally, we think that it’s good to highlight an aspect that is booming, to give it support for its eventual growth.”

Yes, Virginia, indeed, it was a blast from the past. In my previous life as a student majoring in Chemistry, my thesis was on the extraction of dye. Embracing the vogue of recycling, my thesis explored the extraction of dye from the waste/skin discard of Dioscorea alata, commonly known as “ube, ubi” or purple yam, through classical distillation.   

Chemistry 101: Distillation is a process of separating the components of a liquid mixture by selective boiling of the mixture and condensation of vapors. Condensation is the process where water vapor becomes liquid. To determine the resistance of textile colors against specific conditions, the extracted dye was then subjected to color fastness tests—washing, exposure to light or sunlight, and ironing.

 Weaving local fabric and textiles, making them into exquisitely crafted apparel and dresses, and using extracted organic dye while delicately incorporating today’s trends is a tedious, laborious process.

 In this year’s market faire, HABI is bringing to the forefront the significance of the use of natural dyes, holding workshops to demonstrate its usage as well as encourage vendors of its use.

Aside from advocating increasing awareness of the beauty of locally made and handcrafted products, Ms. Maribel discouraged customers from negotiating for discounted prices.

 I truly and honestly love the “collegia-Assumptionista” way she dished out the reminder: “Do not make them barat!” It’s ouchie, as ‘am definitely without a doubt guilty. Indeed, it’s inherent to us Filipinos to haggle, thus, putting us up on the list as the world’s top people who enjoy bargaining the most.

Also, HABI is pushing for the use of Abaca textiles. Again, this was a blast in my recent past as a wet-behind-the-ears economic journalist, learning that abaca hemp was one of the country’s top export products, along with sugar. 

Known as Manila hemp, abaca is exceptionally strong and salt-resistant, perfect for maritime shipping. Graphically, it reminds me of the expression “Anchors away!” It’s an order from the ship captain to hoist the anchor in preparation for the voyage, be it a bulk carrier or a luxury vessel.

From then on, this lustrous fiber is hand-loomed into different indigenous textiles, traditionally used for the iconic Barong Tagalog, shawls, and bags, and most recently, as one of the two materials used for banknotes, specifically in the P1,000 denomination.

While many countries have shifted to polymer in their currency, the Japanese yen, considered one of the most beautiful in the world, continues to use abaca.

This recalls the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ promise to adopt measures to mitigate the impact of the polymer shift on the local abaca industry. This corner of the corridor will update you on this.

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