Unit Title: Local Arts

Title of the Lesson: Local Arts in Bulacan

Duration: 3 hours

Introduction

Local art is concerned with artworks produced in a specific location. It can be a

neighbourhood, local community, city, town or a province.

In this module, we will focus more in our very own local arts here in Bulacan. Our province
is very rich in arts and culture. Bulacan is well known for diverse traditional arts like
architecture, weaving, curving, performing arts, pottery, literature and others. Some of
them – Barasoain Church, Malolos Congress, Obando town fiesta, Francisco Balagtas,
Pangkat Kawayan, Enchanted Farm (Gawad Kalinga), Philippine Arena, revolutionary
heroes, and the hometown of many great National Artists like Col. Antonio Buenaventura,
Francisca Reyes Aquino, Nicanor Abelardo, Gerardo De Leon, Guillermo Tolentino and
Honorata Dela Rama.

Our province is also the home emerging young visual artists in the international scene like
Demi Padua, Jason Cortez, and Welbart. The Dumagats have also their indigenous arts
and crafts that are uniquely recognizable as their output of being crafty and productive
artistically.

Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this module, the students should be able to:
Develop an appreciation for local arts;
Discover and deepen their own identity through art with respect to their locality;
Deepen their understanding of their very own culture.
Identify local arts in Bulacan

Pre-test
Note: Give it a try! Test yourself by answering the activity without browsing the
discussions. It’s a way to challenge yourself, believing that you will be surprised at its result
when we get through with this lesson. Good Luck!
Task 1: TRUE/FALSE Directions: Read each statement below carefully. Write T on the
space before the number if you think a statement it TRUE and write F if you think the
statement is FALSE.
______1. Meycauayan is the center of jewelry production in the Philippines.
______2. Bamboo art is also a leading handicraft business in Meycauayan, Guiguinto and
Plaridel.
______3. Malolos is famous for its capiz products.
______4. Buntal weaving in Baliuag is more than a hundred years old already and was
started by Mariano Ponce.
______5. Buntal refers to the fiber obtained from the stalks of pandan plant.
______6. Singkaban is a well decorated bamboo arch.
______7. The pabalat or pastillas wrappers are made from colorful parchment papers.
______8. Pabalat or pastillas wrappers in San Miguel, Bulacan is also known as borlas de
pastillas.
______9. Singkaban are also those embellished bamboo arches used during
Santacruzans and parades.
______10. There are about 2,000 registered and unregistered jewelry manufacturers in
Bulacan.
______11. Puni is a creative art made from stalks of abaca.
______12. Barasoain church is also called the “Cradle of Democracy in Asia”
______13. Today Puni Art is being advocated by Bocaue Puni Art Group for the restoration
of this pearl of the past.
______14. The Barasoain Church was built in 1888 and today it is officially known as Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.
______15. The Canutillo a product from Vigan City wherein in it is wrapped with pabalat
was inspired by Bulacan’s Borlas de Pastillas

C. Abstraction (input, lesson proper)

Bulacan Local Arts

1) Pabalat or “Borlas de Pastillas”

Making pastillas wrappers in San Miguel, Bulacan is truly a labor of love. It is also famous
as borlas de pastillas. Borlas de Pastillas are intricately-designed wrapper made from
Japanese paper or “papel de hapon” which is decorated with linear, curvilinear, organic
and geometric designs. The real challenge in designing borlas de pastillas is through the
cutting process after the design is traced using a stencil. The design includes bahay kubo,
bukid, farmers planting, traditional Filipina women wearing traditional clothes, landscapes,
plants and flowers (sampaguita), different figures or even traditional festivities like fiestas.
As we plunge into this contemporary era this kind of local art is slowly dying and
diminishing. The passing of Luz Ocampo an artisan, marked an end of life but not this
intricate craft that she helped nurture and preserve for most of her life. Borlas de Pastillas
became more popular after a series of workshops conducted by Ocampo in 2010 where
baraggay workers were taught on the process of paper cutting through the support of
Cultural Center of the Philippines Outreach and Exchange Division. Cultural workshops
such this kind extend widely in public school and teachers enrolled under Graduate
Diploma in Teaching Arts (GDTA)
Vigan City in Ilocos Sur with some of business establishments are now selling a delicacy
called Canutillo (also called Canatillo) wherein in it is wrapped with pabalat inspired by
Bulacan’s Borlas de Pastillas. (Sonny Cristobal of National Commission for Culture and the
Arts , NCCA)
 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10152360907669
Simple designs by: Jovita F. Punzalan
858&set=a.415332124857

2) Singkaban (Decorated bamboo arch)

Bamboo art is also a leading handicraft business in Meycauayan, Hagonoy and Malolos
areas. A celebrated art, elaborately designed bamboo arches adorn streets and church
doors during town fiestas. One will also see these embellished bamboo arches during
Santacruzans and parades. Every second week of September, grand bamboo arches are
displayed on the streets to celebrate the Singkaban Festival at Malolos

Singkaban Bamboo Arch designed by Mang Kiko Eligio

3. Buntal Weaving
Buntal refers to the fiber obtained from the stalks of the talipot palms. The fiber is mainly
used in weaving hats and bags. These craftworks are commonly sold before in Baliuag
public market, and the prices depend on the size, color, and complexity of the design.
Based on the book ‘Baliuag Then and Now,’ which was written by Rolando Villacorte, the
weaving industry in the town is more than a hundred years old. It started when Mariano
Deveza, a Lucban, Quezon native, went to Baliuag with a bag of buntal fibers in tow. This
sparked the interest of the locals to weave hats using the fiber. From 1907, buntal weaving
industry flourished in the town of Baliuag.
 Buntal hats made in Baliuag

4. Barasoain Church
In architecture, a highly decorative and theatrical style is called Baroque style. One very
best example is the Barasoain Church located in our province capital, City of Malolos. It
was built in 1888 and today it is officially known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. It
was originally founded by Augustinian priests in 1859. It is also called the “Cradle of
Democracy in Asia”, being the site of the First Philippine Republic that makes it very
important
historically. 5. Puni Art

Visua

l Artist : Crispin Rebutiaco 2006

Puni is a traditional art of coconut leaf or palm “buli” fronds folding. It is one of the dying art
in Bulacan. This creative leaf folding is one of the most popular art during the time of our
heroes and has been part of everyday lives of children as they used it as toys. Puni has its
particular functions such as decorations including ceiling of old houses, main attractions
during fiestas and other celebration and beautification of arc during Stacruzan and other
festivities. The undying use of Puni is evident during Holy Week. According to Ms. Rheeza
Hernandez, an advocate for Puni Art, “palaspas” during Holy Week celebration then and
now use Puni as creative design for coconut leaves taken from “palapa” of coconut tree.
Today Puni Art is being advocated by Malolenyo cultural advocate Ms Rheeza Hernandez
and Ms Gigi Garcia. Being members of Malolos Puni art Group they worked on the
restoration of this pearl of the past. The creative art of weaving goes back to time
immemorial and today this particular craft from Malolos should be preserved and handed
down to younger generations so that it will still be part of our arts and culture amidst our
highly digital world.

ok.com/
punidemalolosleaffoldingart/photos/

6. Capiz Products
https://www.facebo Works of Jovita F. Punzalan
The town of Bocaue provides various handicrafts made from capiz shells. Aside from
lanterns, other proudly Bulacan-made products are lamp shades, Christmas décors,
candle holders, placemats, curtains, table runners, coasters, and many more.
These type of arts and crafts make for the best souvenirs upon going home from your visit
in Bulacan. Know, whenever you take home one, you are taking home not just the
creativity of the Bulakeños, but also how they take pride in these world-class handiworks.

Capiz Product Manufacturers:

Adorza Handicraft

7. Jewelry Making/Gold Smith

The Jewelry Industry in Bulacan

There are more than 2,000 jewelry manufacturers in Bulacan and they are mostly located
in the municipality of Meycauayan which is considered as the center of fine jewelry
production in the Philippines. The following data was based on trends established by the
Jewelry Industry Study for the province conducted by the (DTI) Department of Trade and
Industry, 97% of the firms are single proprietorship. The oldest firm was established in
1957 while other firms were organized between 1968 and 1973. Almost all of the firms
are Filipino-owned where more than half of the firms belong to the small business scale
category.

Post-Test
Task 5: Test your knowledge here!
TRUE/FALSE Directions: Read each statement below carefully. Write T on the space
before the number if you think a statement it TRUE and write F if you think the statement is
FALSE.
_____t_1. Bamboo art is also a leading handicraft business in Meycauayan,
Guiguinto and Plaride

_____t_2. Meycauayan is the center of jewelry production in the Philippines.

___f__3. Buntal weaving in Baliuag is more than a hundred years old already
and was started by Mariano Ponce. Mariano deveza

___f___4. Malolos is famous for its capiz products. bocaue

____t__5. Singkaban is a well decorated bamboo arch.

_____f_6. Buntal refers to the fiber obtained from the stalks of pandan plant. Talipot
plants

_____t_7. Pabalat or pastillas wrappers in San Miguel, Bulacan is also known as

borlas de pastillas.
____f__8. The pabalat or pastillas wrappers are made from colorful parchment
papers.papel de hapon

___t___9. There are about 2,000 registered and unregistered jewelry

manufacturers in Bulacan.

____t__10. Singkaban are also those embellished bamboo arches used during
Santacruzans and parades.

____f _11. Puni is a creative art made from stalks of abaca. Coconut leaf

___t___12. Barasoain church is also called the “Cradle of Democracy in Asia”

___t___13. Today Puni Art is being advocated by Bocaue Puni Art Group for the
restoration of this pearl of the past.

____t__14. The Barasoain Church was built in 1888 and today it is officially
known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.

____t__15. The Canutillo a product from Vigan City wherein in it is wrapped with
pabalat was inspired by Bulacan’s Borlas de Pastillas