WELCOME TO PAETE!

Welcome to Paete! To say that it is the Woodcarving Capital of the Philippines (I hear dissent from the wood artists of Betis, Pampanga, he he!) would remove the focus on Paete's many other gifts. After all, woodcarving, even if it the town's main industry, isn't the only one that gives honor to its residents. Anyway, that title was given this town by a declaration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on March 15, 2005.

The best times to visit Paete would be in January, July, April and October. The Salibanda on the last week of January, the Town Fiesta on the 25th of July, the Cenakulo on Holy Week (I was told they do this every day of the Week!), and the Lanzones Festival in October are enough to satiate your festival fixations. (As an aside, Camiguin Island in Northern Mindanao also has a similar lanzones festival on the same month.) Also, do not miss the two versions of Salubong done by the Catholic Church and the Aglipayans. This will be on Easter Sunday, of course.

Ice carving is said to be held a day before the town fiesta. In fact, a lot of carvers who've run out of wood (as I said in a post below, there's an ongoing log ban) have worked on luxury ships as ice carvers. There are actually a lot more mini-festivals featuring Filipino martial arts (using 'arnis') and even a santol fest in August. Well, well, well! Looks like living in Paete is never a bore!!!

Baskets of paper mache lanzones line the main streets of Paete - a tribute to the town's many products - from wood to paper to lanzones!

Paete exists peacefully under the shadows of the Sierra Madre.

Note: Thanks, Tutubi, for the correction. I already wrote Sierra Madre when I posted this, but a local said last Sunday that it was Makiling. Haaay...

PAETE: LUIS AC-AC, SCULPTOR

We visited the shop of the noted sculptor Luis Ac-ac. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the shop when we dropped by, but we did have the chance to see his works in a mini-gallery at the back of the shop.

The National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) describes him and his contemporaries as "Working within a genre dubbed folk modern and primarily in traditional sculptural materials" and "represent a stable romantic thread among sculptors carrying a torch for work portraying characters from local myth, excerpts of small-town tableau, and idealized images of Filipino heroes."

His shop, along with many other Paete landmarks, form part of Paete's "museum".

A carver begins work on panels ordered by a US-based client. Below are samples of Ac-ac's work:

This is one of a series of works on the older brother-younger brother theme. The magkapatids (siblings) are usually portrayed engaged in Filipino children sports.

Si Malakas at si Maganda. What's missing here is the bird that split the bamboo open to reveal, as the story says, the first Filipinos. Despite this, there seems to be a European quality to the way the couple were portrayed by the artist vis-a-vis the work done on the same subject by National Artist Carlos Villaluz Francisco a.k.a Botong.

I was thinking that this particular work by Ac-Ac might be interesting when cast in stone or bronze. It could be a nice gift to European governments when the Philippines celebrates something historic in Europe, say, 50 years of diplomatic relations. It would look awesome in a plaza or a lobby.

Incidentally, the Botong work - which he did for the 1953 International Fair in Manila under the presidency of Elpidio Quirino - was executed in wood by carvers from - where else? - Paete. The painting version is still, I think, with the Marcoses. It used to be displayed in their San Juan home. This information came from an article by Jaime Laya on the subject of the former First Lady's collections, but I digress.

Children at play.

Warming the bench. If you're not looking hard enough, you might trip on this sleeping boy and his dog.

PAETE: PAETE CHURCH

Paete Church, circa 1950 (The Richard E. Alhborn Collection, Tulane University Latin-American Library)

I am visiting Laguna because of a project I am currently working on for the 83rd NCAA. The need for carved props brought me to this quaint town which lies at the foot of the grand mountain of Makiling.

Paete is home to the lanzones fruit, the ukit (woodcarving, paet means chisel), the bakya (Philippine woodenshoes), the gayly painted papier-mache called taka, the yo-yo and other toys.

Unfortunately, the log ban has started to put a strain to the woodcarving industry. I had a chat with a carver, Amang Conrado Angeles, and he said that a lot of wood that's available is actually illegal and some of them put their careers on the line just to get rare wood.

Of course, for firstimers to a place in any location in the Philippines, one must pay homage to the usual repository of the town's history and art - the local church.

The Paete Church, circa 2007. Paete achieved township in 1580 when a group of Franciscan Friars (OFM) built a friary there. With the friary came the Church of Santiago Mayor, Apostol y Martir (St. James the Great, apostle and martyr), built in 1864 and filled with century-old paintings and wooden statuaries that the people themselves made. This baroque mission church itself is worth the trip, both for its aesthetic value and spiritual significance. A piece of Campostela in the Far East, it is steeped in legends, stories of martyrdom, and memories of a people that bind them together through generations. ("Where is Paete?" by Marie Castillo-Pruden)

A glimpse of the Sierra Madre - her beauty endures forever.

I am a bit disappointed with the chandeliers. These must be replacements of old ones which may have been destroyed already.





The all-wooden cupola.

Like the chandeliers, I am stumped as to why for a town known for its craftsmanship in wood, the pulpit only looks like this. Again, there must be an explanation. The concrete (yes, concrete!) that's holding it up looks like a fairly new addition.

Buttresses hold up the entire structure. Paete has had its fair share of earthquakes in the past.

What's sad about the church is that it has been completely hidden from sight by a concrete stage facing the Municipio. Only by tearing that down can the church be appreciated again from the Plaza Mayor.