Basey made it on my list of the places to visit because of its colorful mats. It is believed that the people of Basey had been weaving even before the Spaniards came. It's town center is a located in a hilly portion of the town, where the church, seat of government and town plaza are located, reminiscent of an old Spanish town.
Navigating around the town, is difficult because of the narrow streets. We went to visit Delza's Native Products. It's a two storey old house, the ground floor was converted into a display store and weaving area. Here a group of women weaves colorful tikog or seagrass into mats. The second floor is another display area, where more by products of Basey mats can be seen. They have bags of all sizes, pouches, kitchen accesories and home decors for sale.
It was a quick visit for us, but the story of resilience of Delza's owner made me want to encourage fellow Filipino to start supporting our local products. Basey was flooded during Yolanda, and according to Manang Delza, it reached the second floor of the house. What struck me was her response to said calamity, they loss everything stored in the ground floor area, but in her mind she can't bear to see her weavers loose hope. Instead the moment the flood waters had receded, she gathered her weavers and told them to start making mats again. Thanks to Manang Delza's resilient spirit, we still get enjoy Basey mats.
Travel Date: May 16, 2017
Travel Buddies: Family
Travel Date: May 16, 2017
Travel Buddies: Family
Comments
Post a Comment