The “Habol Panay: The Woven Artistry of Western Visayas” gallery of National Museum Western Visayas features the diverse textile heritage of Panay and Negros Islands through the hablon weaving of Iloilo and Antique, piña-seda (pineapple-silk) weaving of Aklan and Antique, silk production and silk weaving of Negros Occidental, panubók (embroidery) of indigenous peoples group Panay Bukidnon, bobbin lacemaking of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, and embroidery of Asilo de Molo, a hospice for the elderly. 

This exhibition features the textile heritage of Region 6. It’s an offshoot of the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino, a permanent textile gallery in the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila. The National Museum of the Philippines, in partnership with the Office of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, is setting up regional textile galleries nationwide to highlight the diverse handwoven textiles and indigenous fibers of the Philippines.

Haból is a Hiligaynon word that means “to weave”. Weaving is a specialized industry that has been in place even before the arrival of the Spaniards. Early weavers utilized indigenous fibers in making their clothes for daily wear, trade or important occasions such as birth of a child, wedding or funeral of family members.

Weaving communities in Western Visayas flourished during the Spanish colonial period, especially when Iloilo Port was opened to international trade in 1855. Iloilo was the textile capital of the Philippines in the mid-1800s employing thousands and exporting highly prized handwoven textiles to Europe and neighboring provinces. But the industry suffered a decline when the trade shifted to sugar.

The exhibition is divided into different sections: the raw materials used in weaving including the silk production in Negros Occidental, the hablon weaving of Iloilo and Antique, the traditional embroidery of Panay Bukidnon, the Bobbin lace-making of Sta. Barbara, the embroidery of Asilo de Molo, and the piña weaving of Aklan.