Established in 1991, Indag-an Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative (IPMPC) is the biggest weaving community. Situated in Barangay Indag-an in the Municipality of Miag-ao, the cooperative boasts of 15 handmade wooden weaving looms each carrying with them a rich history of its art.
Handloom weaving is an age-old industry in the town of Miag-ao with its heyday in the 1950’s up to 1970’s. Despite the decline it suffered in the 80’s, because of extreme competition brought about by modern textile mills, the industry rose again owing to its environment-friendly and labor-intensive nature, through the help of the Department of Trade and Industry, which exerted all efforts to revive it in 1991.
With only five women weavers to begin with, the Indag-an Multi-Purpose Cooperative focused on the production of the traditional patadyong, a plaid or checkered designed textile use by women as wrap around. They were earning about Php12.50 per dozen of patadyong done in a week’s time. With on-going skills training, the women produced bandana and kerchiefs out of the patadyong, which found market through Rustan’s, Manila. This began the realization of the potential of the handloom industry as an income generating activity and employment opportunity.
When Mayor Gerardo Flores assumed as Mayor of Miag-ao in 2001, he made loom-weaving in Miag-ao as a priority concern. His initial step was to tap the services of international fashion designer, Nono Palmos, a Miagaowanon himself, who staged a Hablon Fashion Show at the Miag-ao Public Plaza in February 2003, during the town’s 287th Foundation Anniversary and Salakayan Festival 2003.
From then on, a renewed interest in the nearly-abandoned local heritage emerged and sales of hand woven products, like the patadyong, hinabol and hablon rose by fifty percent. This benefited families who depended on weaving for their basic needs.
