Miagao's Hablon: Weaving Culture, Heritage, and Tradition

by Juliane Dayahna P. Judilla

Miagao is blessed with various distinct traditions that have shaped its locals and how they have gone through their lives. One of the very prominent traditions they have is hablon weaving.

Hablon came from the hiligaynon word “habol” which means “to weave” or it is what the locals call a type of cloth they use for basically anything. Miagao is one of the municipalities in Iloilo province that profited from the hablon industry.

In Brgy. Mat-y, Miagao, just a few walks from the University of the Philippines- Visayas, stands Cris Hablon, a small weaving industry owned and managed by Criselda Fagarita, fifty-eight years old, and the current Weaving Association President of Miagao.

Criselda has been weaving hablon since she was in elementary. She said that hablon weaving kept her family stable and that she’s the third generation of manog habol in their family alongside her sister. The latter also owns a weaving industry in Indag-an, just three kilometers from Mat-y. Criselda shared how her mother was the one who taught her how to weave upon seeing potential in what it can bring to their family– for the longest time, it kept their family afloat. Not until the weaving industry stopped in the 70s until the 1990s.

Cris Hablon started in 2016. Compared to other industries that started earlier, it has developed a name for itself. Designers are usually her top customers, buying in bulk and in large quantities.

Criselda takes pride in what she does, she said that amidst adversities and challenges both she and the industry face, she will keep on weaving for this has become more than just a business, but a tradition. Hablon became Miagao’s cultural identity. Like the fibres of a patadyong, people like Criselda weave Miagao's name, identity, and tradition– one hablon at a time.

Photos by: yours truly

Location: Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines

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This was for our ALA in JR 213- Multimedia Journalism.

We would like to thank Mrs. Criselda Fagarita and Cris Hablon. I, personally, would like to thank our Miagao friends for accommodating us and for making this interview possible.