Fabrics and embroideries
Plant fibers are widely used to make clothing and accessories. Ethnic minorities are the first to use these plant fibers to produce various items, combining handwork with their traditions. Their know-how is renowned throughout the country. Jusi is banana silk; piña, pineapple fiber. Ramie is a type of flax, also known as "Chinese grass" (a type of nettle). The essential abaca is Manila hemp. Produced on Luzon and Mindanao, this high-quality raw material is used primarily to make fishing nets, and is now also used to make linen garments, rugs and hand-woven bags, which make excellent gift ideas. The design, materials and colors inspire the work of Manila's renowned fashion designers and decorators. Mindanao's tribal handweavings are renowned throughout the country. For example, the women of the T'boli tribe, on the shores of Lake Sebu in Mindanao, are renowned for their beautifully embroidered and hand-woven t'nalak fabrics. Legend has it that a goddess sends the weaving patterns to the T'boli women in their dreams while they sleep. Traditionally, t'nalak is used for weddings and births, but thanks to the growth in tourism, this craft can be further developed. In the very south of Mindanao, the Yakans, originally from the island of Basilan, are considered the finest weavers in the country. One week is the average time required to weave one square meter of fabric.
Souvenirs made of wood and other natural materials
Natural materials in general take pride of place in Philippine handicrafts, whose traditions and skills sometimes go back centuries. Wood is used extensively, as are palm leaves and various herbs, rattan and bamboo. Original ideas to bring back include rattan hammocks or palm-leaf mats, also known as banig. Banig is a hand-woven mat generally used by Filipinos as a mattress or floor mat. On some of the islands' roadsides, women can be seen cutting strips of palm leaf, drying them, sometimes coloring them and then weaving them. There are mats in every color and with splendid patterns. Rattan or bamboo basket weaving is another very popular craft in the archipelago, with baskets of all shapes and sizes originally used as storage and transport containers, and nowadays as decorative elements. If you'd like to take home a more artistic object, wooden sculptures are a great souvenir. Statuettes, masks, chess sets, musical instruments and other decorative objects are particularly renowned. Narra wood kitchen utensils are superb pieces made by the mountain people of northern Luzon. Bamboo and rattan furniture, which are widely available in all regions, are best made to order, as Filipino standards are not always suited to European interiors.
Beads and jewelry
Pearl cultivation is very active in the country, which is the world's second-largest pearl producer behind Japan. Philippine pearls (also known as South Sea pearls) are renowned for their quality, large size and gold-like color. The best-known pearl farms are mostly found on Mindanao and Palawan, where you'll find the farms of the famous Jewelmer company, founded by Frenchman Jacques Branellec in 1979, which produces around 700,000 pearls a year, selling for between €150 and €300 each and providing work for over a thousand Filipinos. Among the few loose items to take home: pearl jewelry, of course, and tribal jewelry made from shells, wood or seeds.
Pottery and various trinkets
The art of pottery in the Philippines dates back thousands of years. Jars made from clay were originally used to preserve the remains of the deceased, before taking on other functions, such as cooking and preserving food. Today, the pottery craft is still very much alive, particularly in northern Luzon, in the villages around the Banaue rice fields or in the Sagada region. Religious statuettes of the Virgin Mary or the Infant Jesus and holy images abound. Rather amusing, they offer a symbolic souvenir. This is also true of miniature jeepneys. These former military jeeps, abandoned by the Americans after the war and rehabilitated as public transport, are the ultimate symbol of the archipelago, and bringing home a miniature is a simple and effective souvenir.
Snacks and local products
Filipinos are fond of sweet and savoury snacks at any time of the day or night, such as dried fruit, chocolates, cakes and so on. So it's hardly surprising that you'll find an exceptional variety. Every town and village has its own specialities, and the best way to discover them is to browse the local markets. The national snack star is undoubtedly the dried mango. The country is renowned for the sweetness and quality of its mangoes (some even say that the best are found here), and dried mangoes are simply to die for. It's a light, inexpensive and original souvenir. In the same vein, polvoron, crumbly shortbread cookies in a variety of flavors, are a mouth-watering treat for children and adults alike. When it comes to drinks, you can always bring back a few local beers, such as San Miguel beer, which is found everywhere, or rum. The best known is Tanduay rum, named after Tanduay Street in Manila, the original location of the distillery. Last but not least, coconut oil is highly reputed in the Philippines and is considered a miracle product with multiple uses: as cooking oil, in cosmetics for sunburn, hair and skin, as massage oil, etc.
