Asilo de Molo: Crafts for charity
We, Ilonggos, are known for our compassionate nature and our creativity. We all have the blood of an artist and the heart of a hero. It is here, in Iloilo, where craft and charity meets. Confused? Well, you shouldn't be. In Asilo de Molo both are present.
Founded on July 8, 1934 by Rev. Fr. German P. Villasan, C.M. together with Dona Pilar Advincula de Javellana, and Dona Adela Lizares Vda. De Mapa, the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul came to life. Under the care of the Sisters of the Daughters of Charity, it has become a home for the homeless, a shelter for the needy, and a cradle for the hundreds of orphans in the past. Nowadays, Asilo serves as a refuge center for the fityseven elderlies, mostly deserted by their families, a residence for twenty siters, and a favorite training ground for the rapidly burgeoning population of caregiver students.
Do you know that behind the walls that embrace the helpless people in the society lies a haven of beautifully-crafted artistry? Unknown to many, Asilo produces exquisite handmade embroidered materials such as vests for priests, wall decors, table cloths, pillow cases, table napkins, greeting cards, infants' dresses, shoes, and hats. Each were intrically designed to be distinctive from those available on the market. "The manually embroidered barong cloth is the most popular among our products," says Sr. Victoria Leonor DC, head of the embroidery department. "Carmilina does the designing for the barong and I do design for the vests," she added as she lazily folds that red altar cover on the table.
The aqua green-painted rectangular room serves as their workplace. The eight sewing machines along with the six female workers, mostly from the nearby area, make the embroidery possible while the three bastidor, as they call it, lie adjacent to each other. A bastidor, is a long rectagular piece of wood with a stand and knots on its end that holds the cloth, either jusi or pina, while the sewers carefully embed the strands of silk thread into it. The sinamay ( pina) cloths were bought from Kalibo, Aklan while the jusi and most of the materials were from the Chinese stores in Iloilo City. It will be then embroidered according to the clients' chosen pattern and color.
"It takes one long month to finish the three yards of jusi or four yards of sinamay, enough for one piece of barong tagalog. We usually require our costumers to give us at least three months of working time to come up with a quality finish product," Nanay Carmilina explains. These materpieces are undeniably elegant yet quite expensive. The internationally-renowned pina costs PhP 10,000.00 a piece while the less popular yet equally breathtaking jusi costs PhP 8,000.00. Carmilina Yap, a 69 year old who spent most of her life in Asilo as an orphan during the World War II, opens the
brown notebook that serves as their costumers logbook where the names of Iloilo's most prominent families, like business tycoons Rogelio Florete and Felipe Uygonco, and politicians like Second District Congresswoman Judy Jalbuena-Syjuco and First Son Mickey Arroyo are written on its pages. It was said that Imelda Marcos, during their regime, once had her Filipinana embroidered at Asilo. Politicians usually drop by and order embroideries for foreign dignitaries. A barong from Lumban, Batangas, offers the costumers a cheaper alternative at PhP 1,500.00 to PhP 2,000.00.
Local and foreign priests, on the other hand, also come to see and purchase vests and other related products. Each were uniquely made giving it a sense of individuality. Most of the designs are symbolic like the red one accentuated with yellow threads forming a dove-like figure that symbolizes peace and the green vestment with gold details in zigzag, a rather tribal one, illustrates the traditional Filipino image. It is an expression of art, faith, and culture stiched on a sacred robe.The prices of these works of art ranges from PhP 1,300.00 to PhP 3,000.00 depending on its style.
The income from the sales of these products are used in the rehabilitation of the Asilo and are spent for the nutrition, maintenance, and health care services for the elderlies. This is how the whole thing works, the gift of art and craftsmanship balanced with the nurturing and sympathetic hearts of the nuns provides an air of hope for the old members of the society that were deprived of the love and attention by their families. Asilo is more than just an institution, it is a charity blended with cultural heritage perfected by time.