Palawan is an island province of the ​Philippines​.

The provincial capital is ​Puerto 

Understand 

The island of Palawan stretches from ​Mindoro​ to ​Borneo​ in the southwest. It lies 
between the South China Sea in the northwest and Sulu Sea in the southeast. Palawan 
is considered to be the Philippines' last ecological frontier. The province boasts many 
splendid beaches and resorts and it is where the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park 
and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River two of the ​UNESCO World Heritage Sites​, 
are located  
Palawan is also ​ the largest province in the ​Philippines​, is home to several ​indigenous 
ethnolinguistic​ groups namely, the ​Kagayanen​ ​[1]​, ​Tagbanwa​, ​Palawano​, ​Taaw't Bato​, 
Molbog​ and the ​Batak​ tribes.​[1]​ They live in remote villages in the mountains and 
coastal areas. 
Palawan wood carvings are made by various tribes throughout the island. Today we 
visited the MCA Souvenir shops (formerly called the LRC Souvenir shops) over in the 
San Miguel area. With the enormous amount of wood crafts in the stores sometimes it 
will be hard to choose just one. What I do is to just look at the different figurines and 
then create a story in my mind. Like the installation I made below. With a story line in 
mind, you can then buy a set of figurines. Single choices depend mostly on where you 
want the art piece to put. You can have it on the center of your wall or in the corner 
with some indoor plants. 
Blackened wood carvings of animals, with simple etched or incised features exposing 
the original white grain of the wood, are the most well-known examples of Tagbanua 
wood carving or sculpture. Long since available in the market as tourist commodities, 
these wood carvings traditionally formed part of the ritual offerings. 
Weaving in palawan. So there is place in palawan that is called the binuatan weaving 
center, there are processes to be followed here:  
1. grass being dyed into desired color 
2.drying 
3. dyed buntal fibers 
4. warping of threads to be used for weaving 
5. harvesting of thread from warping frame 
6. setting in of thread into the loom 
7. drawing of threads through heddle wires and reeds 
8. weaving 
9. finishing 
10.cutting and packing 
Pottery is one of the most primordial arts that combine design and function. It comes 
from a wide variety shapes and decorative techniques. The designs were usually 
geometric with stylized nature motif; later pottery became more functional. 
Barangay Bari in Sibalom, Antique is very famous in terms of quality and durability. The 
craftsman that manufactures earthen products is called potters locally termed as  
manugdihon. The most common earthenware they produce are the kuron or daba, a 
round-bottomed, wide-mouthed native cooking pot; kalan, an earthen stove; paso or 
plant pot; and banga, used exclusively for storing drinking water. These products are 
usually being sold in local market and exported in nearby islands and provinces, such 
as Cuyo, Palawan. 
The traditional costumes of the Tagbanua were fashioned from the bark of trees, 
particularly the salugin. The preparation of this bark was unique. After being felled, the 
tree would be cut around the trunk, the outer bark stripped off to expose the inner 
layer. This layer would be beaten with a wooden mallet, until it was soft and pliant 
enough to hang loose from the bole. This was then washed in the river and dried out 
under the sun. No dye was applied to it, and no decorations either. The Tagbanua have 
always depended on this inner tree bark because back-loom weaving is unknown to 
them, as with all Palawan groups. In the past, menfolk wore simple loincloths 
(G-strings), supported by a woven rattan waistband called ambalad, while the women 
wore only brief wraparound skirts made from bark. The Tagbanua later came to adopt 
some articles of Muslim clothing. At present, while many Tagbanua still wear their 
traditional apparel, Western-type clothing has found its way among the people. 
The Tagbanua have had more aesthetically delicate creations in terms of body 
accessories. In the past, when both men and women wore their hair long, they filed 
and blackened their teeth, and carved earplugs from the hardwood bantilinaw. These 
ornately designed plugs were inlaid with mother-of-pearl in geometric patterns. The 
Tagbanua also carved wooden combs and bracelets. They strung bead necklaces to be 
used in covering women’s necks. Anklets of copper and brass wire were also crafted 
and worn by women. The earlobe plugs, combs and bracelets, necklaces and anklets 
have now become quite rare. 

Baskets and wood carvings are the more notable products of Tagbanua artistic crafts 
today. They excel in the number of designs which they apply to their tingkop (harvest 
baskets) made of hard-strip bamboo. These baskets are occasionally made of 
blackened and natural bamboo, which make the designs stand out. Sometimes, only 
the natural color of bamboo is used, and the design is created by an extremely subtle 
changing of the under-over pattern of the bamboo strips. The cone-shaped colander 
type of basket is another fine example of Tagbanua skilled artistry. Using black and 
natural color designs outside, the center of the cone has the bamboo strips skived 
slightly smaller, creating even holes for the screen. The funnel effect is accomplished 
through a close weaving of the bamboo strips towards the top. The soft rice baskets, 
called bayong-bayong, are made with different unusual shapes. These have generally 
square bases and round tops. To produce interesting block and V-shapes, the plain 
buri sides are superimposed with colored buri. Color is woven into the Tagbanua 
basket with the use of dyed palm leaves. Among the colors used are red, blue, violet, 
grey, black, and green. There are at least three common designs for hand baskets, 
which are used as tobacco containers (De los Reyes 1977:215). 

Blackened wood carvings of animals, with simple etched or incised features exposing 
the original white grain of the wood, are the most well-known examples of Tagbanua 
wood carving or sculpture. Long since available in the market as tourist commodities, 
these wood carvings traditionally formed part of the ritual offerings.The process 
begins with the cutting of the branches of the alimutyugan tree. This wood, soft and 
white, is cut into foot lengths, split in half, and debarked. Rough blocks are made with 
the bolo called barong. For carving the actual shape and the fine details of the object, 
a small curved knife called pisay is used. The sculpting done, the Tagbanua artist then 
uses a sandpaper leaf called agupi or isis to smoothen out the surface, after which 
sweet potato, yam, or cassava leaves are rubbed all over it, giving it a greenish color 
because of the leaf juice. For blackening, a piece of the almaciga resin is burned on 
the ground, and the object is passed over the burning resin to blacken it thoroughly 
with soot. The blackened object is given a second scrubbing with the leaves, then 
passed over the smoke again, this process being repeated until the black coloring no 
longer comes off despite rubbing. 

Finally, incisions, etchings, and scrapings, are made on the carving, using the knife. 
The strokes are swift and sure: eyes, polka dot designs, V-marks, white triangles, plant 
and leaf motifs, lines and geometric shapes, and other designs complete on the 
Tagbanua carving. 

Some of the objects carved are mammanuk (rooster), a ritual bowl, kiruman (turtle), 
kararaga (a native bird), dugyan (a small ground animal), lizards, and wild pigs. Carved 
animals are used with rice, betel nut, and other offerings to attract the deities and 
spirit-relatives in the pagdiwata rituals. The turtle, for instance, floats on grains of 
palay in an ancient Ming trade bowl. Lizards, turtles, and wild pigs, when not used as 
ritual objects, become toys for children. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jaywalking (Pat C. Villafuerte) 

“Prrrt” Hoy, jaywalking kayo!” Isang matabang pulis ang nakita ko. Kinawayan 
kaming lumapit sa kanya. “Daig pa ninyo ang lumalakad sa kabilugan ng buwan. Di ba 
ninyo alam na bawal tumawid doon?” 

  “Sorry, Tsip. Nagmamadali ho ako eh. Gusto ko hong makauwi agad.” Paliwang 
ng magandang dalagang katabi ko. 

“Sarheto Flores, hindi Tsip,” galit ang pulis. At bakit ka nagmamadali? Dahil natatakot 
kang malaman sa inyo na nakiapag-date ka sa lalaking ito? “Hindi ko kilala ang lalaking 
iyan. At kung iyan lang, di bale na,” tugon ng dalaga. 

“At kung ikaw naman ang maging girlfriend ko, magpapari na lang ako. Hmp” ang 
tugon ko. 

  Napariin ang paghawak ko sa kanyang braso. Ngunit wala akong narinig ni 
bahagya mang pagtutol. Nilingon ko ang aming tinwiran kanina. Nilingon ko rin si 
Sarhento Flores. Ah, isa sa mga araw na ito, babalikan ko ang pulis na iyon upang 
pasalamatan sa pagkakahuli niya sa amin.