Basey Mat Entrepreneur – National Awardee

Basey Mat Entrepreneur – National Awardee

Delza Morales is one of the awardees of Gawad Ginintuang Yaman Award for being a business entrepreneur engaged in mat weaving and making bags in Basey, Samar.

A National Trade Fair was held at SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City and Delza Morales topped among other business enthusiasts all over the country. This national event is facilitated by the Department of Trade and Industry to promote and market local products.

The Gawad Ginintuang Yaman Awards honors the exemplary contributions of institutions or individuals in elevating country’s economy by inspiring other entrepreneurs in pursuing and persevering their advocacies of their local products and businesses.

Delza Morales is not only a maker of high quality indigenous products but also a job provider to the locals especially the women’s group in Basey, Samar. And for this, she was announced to be one of best mat entrepreneurs in the country.

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Basey6720 

The Mat Weaver of Basey, Samar

Photo Credits to : Region VIII , Eastern Visayas Facebook Page- no copyright infringement intended

The Mat Weaver of Basey, Samar

            The town consider Brgy. Basiao to be one of their top suppliers of mat or banig. Themat  weavers from the town of Basey, Samar have been known for its production of high quality  and intricately well-designed mats, wallets, bags, slippers, wall decors and other handcrafted items which are all made up of sedge grass locally known as tikog (Fimbristylis milliacea).

 tikog grass.  This products is not only being sold in the local area like Basey and Tacloban City but also to other provinces and big cities like Makati and Cebu and of course also overseas.

Photo Credits to : Region VIII , Eastern Visayas Facebook Page- no copyright infringement intended 

The town got the spot of the “World Longest Banig or Mat” to the Guiness Book of World records last September 28, 2008 as part of the Basey’s Fiesta celebration, feast of their patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. The mat is 2 kilometers long.

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Basey6720

Basey Aims to Beat Own Record for the Longest Banig or Woven Mat

Photo Credits to : Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended

Basey Aims to Beat Own Recordfor the Longest Banig or Woven Mat

            Last September 28, 2008, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Basey, Samar planned to exhibit a 2.0 kilometer long woven mat for the Guinness Book of World Records to beat its own record last 2000. The exhibit was presented during the annual town fiesta and the town was celebrating its 106th fiesta (September 29) in honor of patron Saint Michael the Archangel.

            I can still recall the time when the Ex-Vice President Noli De Castro visited Basey to witness and document the longest banig parade for the ABS-CBN show Magandang Gabi Bayan wherein he is the anchor host. There are thousands of people travelled to Basey just to see the parade and witness to see the longest banig in world.

Photo Credits to : www.warayclub.com - no copyright infringement intended

            Banig products is one of the top seller on trader fairs which is usually organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) which is being held on different major cities of the country like Quezon City, Cebu City and Makati City. Some of the products actually were used as mat throw pillows in the Pinoy Big Brother House.

            Weaving mats is the major industry in the town of Basey and banig is their entry for the One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) Project of DTI. Because of this project, many workers from Basey have been given livelihood and opportunity to gain more knowledge about Banig and skills of making good quality banig with the effort of the local government of basey. The banig is made from sedge grass locally known as tikog (Fimbristylis milliacea).

Photo Credits to : www.warayclub.com - no copyright infringement intended

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Basey6720

Basey Got the Longest Mat or “Banig” in the World

Photo Credits to : www.warayclub.com - no copyright infringement intended

Basey Got the Longest Mat or“Banig” in the World

The people of the town of Basey in the province of Samar intricately weaved the world’s longest mat or “banig” during Banigan-Kawayan Festival in the feast of their patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel.

Last September 29, 2000, under Basey Mayor Wilfredo Estorninos, attempted to submit the longest mat as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records. The banig is 1 meter wide and more than a kilometer long. This feat is really a great source of pride to all Basaynons, the people of Basey.

Photo Credits to : Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended

The banig is made up of tikog or sedge (Fimbristylis milliacea) grass where most women of the town weave different complex designs of banig intricately and this became a tradition that was handed down from many generations.

The use of banig is not abstractly use as a sleeping mat but today Banig can be use as modern wall or ceiling panels, slippers, bags, throw pillows, framed decors, place mats, furniture matting, gowns and many more.

Picture below is a gown made up of Banig! Isn't Awesome!?

Photo Credits to : Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended

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Basey6720

Basey in Yahoo News!

I was really happy to read an article from Yahoo and it was about my hometown, Basey in Samar.

Photo Credits to : www.warayclub.com - no copyright infringement intended

Though the article focus more on the trip to Calbiga it is still overlwhelming as a Basaynon that people from other places appreciate the beauty of our culture and Basey per se as an eco-tourism destination.

The article gives emphasis on the creativeness of Basey’s banig weavers. It is a fact that the quality of mats that the town is offering is really world class.  The writer of the article went to Barangay Basiao which is in the southern point in Samar. Going to Barangay Basia is an hour and half travel from Tacloban City.

It would be very great to see how the mats are made because the location of making the mats itself is greatly atypical because they are making it inside a cave. Under the cool shelter, women from the barangay come together to weave mats and they are using dried and dyed tikog grass for the mat. Tikog grass should be weaved in a cool place because it turns brittle and breaks easily in warm temperature.

Photo Credits to : www.warayclub.com - no copyright infringement intended

Weaving indeed entails patience and attention to details, as the traveller said “The weavers deftly intertwine every strand of grass, following established patterns to craft intricate designs. As the work is repetitive and tiresome, the weavers in all likelihood gather and interact to break the monotony.”

People from Basey are really hospitable and loved to help people who want to learn their tradition just like weaving. The craftsmanship of the weavers is commendable and praiseworthy.

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Yahoo Article: http://sg.travel.yahoo.com/inspirations/526-tripping-around-calbiga