On February 27, 2026, the Provincial Tourism and Culture Office (PTCO) officially launched the NueHABIzcaya Weaving Circuit, a guided tour through the weaving revival workshops of the province. A project months in the making, the official launch included representatives from travel and tour agencies in the province, the media, the higher-education institutions of the province, and the Public Affairs and Information Assistance Division of the Governor’s Office.
The full circuit sees a route that takes the tourist to Bagabag for Myrna Aban Handicrafts; to Brgy. Runruno in Quezon for ABEL RIPO (Runruno Indigenous Peoples Organization); to Brgy. Capisaan in Kasibu for Mun-Abol Capisaan Weaving; and finally to Dupax del Sur for Aruga Handwovens. Each weavers’ association boasted mastery and preservation of indigenous weaving traditions and techniques, displaying their own forms of diversity in art.
Myrna Aban, a member of the Gaddang IP and one of its ‘dedicated cultural bearers’, is a proud practitioner of the traditional Gaddang weaving techniques and the ‘inansi’ traditional beading craft. Aside from giving a live loom-weaving demonstration, Ms. Aban also led the attendees in a short lesson on beading and the meaning of certain motifs, colors, and symbols in her handicrafts. Aside from traditional Gaddang outfits, Aban’s Handicrafts also displays a selection of inansi-beaded jewelry and headwear for sale.
ABEL RIPO, born out of a partnership between the local government unit of Barangay Runruno and FCF Minerals Corporation, hosts five indigenous cultures under the same workshop: the Kalanguya, Kankana-ey, the Ibaloi, the Tuwali, and the Ayangan. Similar to other government-backed endeavors in the province, the two-fold mission of ABEL RIPO is cultural preservation and economic empowerment – efforts that overlap and feed the other. While developing their own signature products, ABEL RIPO offers garments, fabrics by the yard, and woven mats.
Mun-Abol is a joint effort of Didipio Mine and Alayan Pag-asa Abot Palad Association alongside other agencies, located in Sitio Alayan. The products of Mun-Abol are their own draw, however, with their experimentations in loom-weaving yielding unique patterns, one of which is their citrus weave – a nod to Kasibu’s status as the Citrus Capital of Luzon. In 2025, actress Jodi Sta. Maria dropped by Mun-Abol in one of her promotional jaunts through the provinces, a visit that inspired the weavers to name their bolero blazer design ‘Jodi’ after her.
The final stop of the circuit is Dupax del Sur, wherein Aruga Handwovens is based. Aruga represents an apparent cultural revival for the Isinay IP of the province, rooted in the legacy of its last weaving practitioner, Felipe Mayangat. According to history, Mayangat wove the last Isinay burial shroud that showcased the symbols and traditions of the Isinay in its design and methods before his own death in the 1970s; in current times, Aruga Handwovens rediscovered the traditional Isinay baby wrap and now proudly advertises it as a prime product. Aruga Handwovens also engage not only in the standard loom-weaving but also card-weaving, conducting a demonstration for the participants of the tour circuit.
The mutual support between government bodies and private entities have enabled the growth and propagation of these essential cultures and tradition in the province. Through the weaving circuit, Novo Vizcayanos and outside tourists alike can now witness the revival of the indigenous cultures of the province. /igmb
[This article was first created on Facebook – Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya. For PGNV updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/vizcayareporter]