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Jan
22
2007
| TUGAYA : Trading Traditional Arts |
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| Written by Samira Gutoc | |||||||||||
| Monday, 22 January 2007 | |||||||||||
Page 5 of 9 Last year, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts even nominated Tugaya as a World Heritage Site because of the arts and crafts it produces. According to the Commission, the Maranao arts and crafts coming out of Tugaya “are intimately enmeshed with the cultural structure and organization of the people such that it is highly distinguishable from all other forms, although these would still belong to a pan-Southeast Asian culture.” Said to be one of the last bastions of Islamic civilization in Lanao del Sur, Tugaya also has special place in Philippine history. After all, it was there that the flag of resistance, the Pandi-a-ranao, was planted by local hero Sheikh Saruang, who fought against the Spanish invaders. By the time Alimatar Guroalim was elected mayor in 2004, however, much of the fighting in Tugaya was being done by the town’s clans among themselves. Unfortunately, their bickering – usually regarding politics or over who had the right to head the Sultanate -- was also affecting everyone else. A law graduate from the University of the East in Manila, Guroalim had spent much of the previous decade away from Tugaya, since he was based in Baguio, where he worked at the Office on Muslim Affairs. His visits to his hometown, however, were enough to make him realize the debilitating impact the local feuds were having on Tugaya’s growth. Yet while bringing the clans together was certainly on his checklist of to-dos as a budding politician, Guroalim says he entered politics with a platform of addressing development. “If we compare traditional leaders and the modern ones, we see that (there is a lack of emphasis on) improvement with the former,” he explains. “Traditional leaders were only concerned with pacifying conflicts but the development of the inged (community) is forgotten.” And so one of the first things Guroalim did after winning was to consult residents on how to improve the economy in Tugaya. Taking the cue from them, the young first-time mayor then passed laws to support micro-enterprise at the barangay level, particularly on upgrading the cottage industry in Tugaya. He also passed a law to create a display center at the corner where one turns to go into Tugaya from the national highway – the better for the town’s products to be seen by more potential customers. Women’s groups in particular were provided with start-up capital, with many of them choosing to go into embroidery work. According to the mayor, the women were very vocal at consultation meetings regarding what they needed. “We saw how the women were much more active in accessing support and coordinating with us,” he says. He adds that supporting them with training has proved to be the right move, since many women have applied what they learned and earning even as they continue to keep house. THESE DAYS, mothers doubling as entrepreneurs are a common sight in Tugaya (unlike in other parts of ARMM). Many women toil away not only over hot stoves preparing hot meals for their families, but also over their sewing machines, making blankets and pillows. Many like Ameena have also taken up weaving, which in Tugaya means the traditional backloom. Some stitch sequin after sequin on meters of cloth to make wall hangings. In bright yellow, green, or red – the Maranao royal colors – these wall hangings are staples in local feasts, such as weddings and other festive celebrations. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 22 January 2007 ) | |||||||||||
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