Singkaban

Do you know about a traditional art practice of this one family in Bulacan?

In celebration of #NationalArtsMonth2024, we feature the art of bamboo arch-making known as singkaban, which has been continuously practiced and transmitted by the Eligio family of Hagonoy!

The singkaban is a bamboo arch that spans across roads during fiestas, and is sometimes placed on church entrances and altars during Christmas and other special occasions. When designing and creating the singkaban, the kayas or the shaved portions should complement each part for the overall design of the arch. Incorporating changes to the arch is challenging if it has already been constructed, thus the different components must be finalized before its assembly.

The main designs used in the singkaban are—rayos/bilog, shaved bamboo sticks with ends nailed to a round piece of bamboo called doughnut, which resembles the wheel of a karitela (carriage); abaniko/pamaypay, a fan-shaped bamboo placed on top of the panels or headers; and the bulakaykay, a prominent feature of the singkaban poles. One technique employed by brothers Jeffrey and Gerry Eligio, grandsons of the late Master of Singkaban Maker Francisco “Kiko” Eligio in making the bulakaykay is the palubid or spiral technique, which creates a unique coiled effect on the bamboo poles. The half moon is a complementary design, a smaller type of abaniko/pamaypay positioned at both sides of the arch.

Generally, the singkaban is solely composed of shaved parts, but it can also be adorned with other designs depending on the theme. An example of this arch was made during the Palaisdaan Festival where the singkaban featured the bangus or milkfish, an export quality product of Hagonoy. This arch was later awarded 1st Place at the 2023 Singkaban Festival’s bamboo arch competition.

Folk art compared to other art forms is deeply rooted in a culture and community, reflecting not just artistry but to a greater degree, the community’s effort to continue and transmit the tradition. When Kiko Eligio was still alive, he once shared in an interview, “Hangga’t hindi bumibitaw ang mga Pilipino sa katutubong likhang sining, hindi mawawala ang sining ng singkaban [As long as Filipinos continue to hold dear onto our traditional arts, the art of singkaban will not fade].” His son Emil conducts workshops for the Alternative Learning System students of Bulacan, to preserve and transmit the tradition.