Iloilo's Hablon Industry

Hablon is a heritage industry in Iloilo. It means that the making of Hablon is not just a means of livelihood, it is also a culture, a tradition, an irreplaceable part in the whole that is Iloilo. It is like our churches, our food, and our language. It is ours to use and, over the years, ours to mess up as well.

Hablon, taken from the Hiligaynon word “Habol” meaning “to weave,” refers to both the process of making the fabric and the end product. It is traditionally made of locally-made fibers such as piña, abaca, and cotton. Due to the sporadic price increase of raw materials, polyester and other fibers were added to strengthen the fabric and cut the cost of production.

Time was when Iloilo was the leading center of the textile and other weaving crafts in the Philippines. The province's weaving industry dates back to the pre-Spanish period when the Ilonggo-Bisaya at that time wove textiles from cotton, abaca, pineapple, as well as silk bartered with the Chinese.

Iloilo's hablon industry was concentrated in Jaro, Molo, Arevalo and Mandurriao, but other towns like Miag-ao, Tigbauan, Sta. Barbara and Janiuay were also noted for weaving, especially the "patadyong", the common wear of women at that time. Indicative of the remarkable development of the hablon industry was the observation made in 1857 by Nicholas Loney, British vice-consul in Iloilo, of the festive market fairs held at the different towns where native-made clothes were sold in abundance. He also noted the great number of looms in the province at that time, about 60,000 according to him (Loney to Farren 1857).

Nowadays Hablon Industry in Iloilo is declining because of modernization. So, What we can do to make this industry alive? There is this place in Iloilo where you can experience and see how to make Hablon Products. It is at Indag-an Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, here the daughters of the Hablon Weavers are trained to learn the traditional art of Hablon weaving so that they can pass it through the next generation.