Patadyong and Amorsolo at Museo Iloilo

Nagpunta ako sa Museo Iloilo kanina. Kailangan ko kasing mag book for November 21 para sa NCCA grant na nakuha ng Yanggaw: The Capiz Writers Circle, of which, ako ang Chairman. Dun namin gaganapin ang first time ever na event na to. Na text ko naman na si Sir Zafiro Ledesma, ang Curator, and as usual, supportive naman sya sa mga events ko. Kailangan lang ma formally book sa listahan dun kay Ate Elaine.

Matagal tagal na rin akong di naka balik sa Museo since nag launch din ako ng libro ni mama Felino Garcia Jr. dun, months back. Pagdating ko dun, there was a pleasant surprise. May magandang exhibit.

PATADYONG: The Motherland and the Costumes of Amorsolo's Womenfolk and the Patadyong in Contemporary Fashion.

Merong naka exhibit na original painting ni Amorsolo dun.


Breathless ako! I think everyone should go and see the genius that is Amorsolo! It simply is breath taking. Meron din dalawang pencil sketch studies ni Amorsolo pero di ko na na kunan kasi na bowl over na ako sa ganda nitong painting.

Sa kabilang exhibit area naman, nandun ang Patadyong exhibit.

The 'tidal' or 'tiral', a hand loom used to make patadyong.

Ito ang sabi sa Exhibition guide notes ni Randy M. Madrid ng Center for West Visayan Studies ng University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo City.

The patadyong is a homegrown fabric that is distinctly Ilonggo in color and character. It has been the most popular textile identified with Iloilo since the 16th century, when an account noted that "the garments and dresses of the Visayan Women consist of mantles with diberse colored strips made of cotton." The patadyong had become and indigenous work of art, a source of livelihood to many, and a cultural tr
adition reflective of Ilonggo ingenuuit. Local weavers used hemp and cotton fibers (bunang) to produce the age-old checkered and plaid patterns woven on narrow handlooms ( tidal in Hiigaynon; tiral in Kinaray-a). Since 1920's, vibrant colors of rayon and polyester threads also came into common use.

the patadyong used as 'aboy-aboy' or duyan for an infant

Moreover, the patadyong, like the tube-like sarong of Indonesia, and barrel skirt of Sri Lanka and India, is most often wrapped around the body and associated with modesty for women andd propriety for men. Alternatively, it serves as instant shield from the sun or rain, an apron or towel, an improvised baby crib (aboy-aboy), an outdoor bathing suit, a tie for farm produce, and an improvised nook when answering the untimely call of nature.

The distinct appeal of the patadyong lies in the patterns intricately designed in the tapestry of colors. The various designs produced evolved with representative endemic names: bilog-bilog, sinamayan, pinalang, sarapina, binuskay and sinipa. There were also those Spanish sounding names: sies cigarillos, dos palos, rayadillo, and azulera; and some with revolutionary overtones like balintawak and katipunan, These desings echo those of the calico cloth of India or the plaid fabric prodiced in the Carribean island of Martinique.

UNESCO World Heritage Site, Miagao Church of Saint Thomas De Villanova

There is a rich lexicography attesting to the patadyong's primacy among Iloilo traditional crafts. The town of Miagao alone operated 4,000 looms just to sustain local demands as well as Manila markets in the 19th century. Among other local woven fabrics like sinamay, nipis and pinya, the attractive colors, comparatively cheaper cost,a nd flexible uses of the patadyong gave it impetus with patronage from all sectors of society. Old photographs attest that the patadyong was worn at various events by the young and old alike, by members of the elite and the masses. As such, the patadyong represents a home-produced aet that blends into the color and mood of idyllic rural landscapes, most notably immortalized in the attire of women in paintings of rural scenes.

Hablon, another panay indigenous fabric


Sinamay, a panay fabric

Patadyong incorporated with sinamay, jusi, jute, abaca and other indigenous fabrics.

I came out of the Museo simply out of breath. Aside from the rare opportunity to have beheld with my own eyes a work of a master, Fernando Amorsolo, I have seen pride! There and then I am more proud of my being an Ilonggo. This calls for a bowl of Ilonggo pride! Batchoy, anyone?

Text Credit:

From the Guide Notes on the Exhibition
Text by Randy M. Madrid
Center for West Visayan Studies
UP Visayas
Iloilo City