by If you’re joining a Puerto Princesa City tour group in beautiful Palawan, there’s a big chance that you will also visit the Binuatan Creations Weaving Center. Located in the Employees Village in Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City, the center is a popular stop for guided city tours.
Binuatan Creations Weaving Center
The Binuatan Creations Weaving Center is a site that produces handicrafts and souvenir items in Puerto Princesa. Unlike other ‘pasalubong’ centers in the city, Binuatan Creations features the tried-and-tested traditional art of hand-look weaving.
Upon entry, guests are automatically exposed to the intricate, tedious, and quite fascinating process performed by experienced and expert local craftsmen and women. Creating handbags, wallets, placemats, wall art, and a whole lot more, the super-talented group of artisans uses nothing but locally-produced and indigenous fibers.
The term Binuatan is a local word from a native Palawan dialect. This probably has a Visayan origin since the word is very similar to the Cebuano word ‘binuhatan’ which also means creation.
A Memorable Experience
Aside from watching the weavers in action, visitors are also given the chance to experience the process first-hand. A couple of weaving ‘platforms’ are set aside for this purpose and those who are interested to give it a try are allowed to do so. The local weavers are more than eager to share their expertise with the noobs like us.
My mom decided to give it a try.
I think she did a pretty good job!
Almost all visitors will quickly understand that weaving is not for everyone. The process requires solid eye-hand-foot coordination. Additionally, the weaver must also have an undeniable understanding of how designs unfold. Also, they must be able to see the whole picture even if they’ve only just begun.
Of course, I also decided to give it a try!
It’s definitely not as easy as it looks!
Not a very good job, I must admit. Hehe.
Pasalubong Time
After the demonstration and hands-on experience, it was time to proceed to the area where all the finished products are displayed. There, you can see a wide range of items that are definitely perfect pasalubong (souvenir) materials. We saw handbags, sling bags, pouches, wallets, window blinds, wall art, placemats, and even small purses created using a very long and tiring process.
The items sure were a bit pricey. But knowing how time-consuming and tiring it was to create just one simple design, we knew that we had to support the local artists.
My mom ended up getting a bag. And I sure hope other visitors would do so, too!
