As we approached the final leg of our journey from Gigantes Islands, the scenery shifted from sandbars and white, powdery islands to the familiar countryside of Iloilo. Tanned skin on our backs and wonderful memories in our heads, we rolled back to Iloilo City, stopping along the way at a few old, charming towns with stories to tell.
Miagao, Iloilo: UNESCO Church, Hablon Weavers and Budbud Saltmakers
Miagao Church: A Filipino Interpretation of Spanish Baroque
Miagao Church, officially known as the Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish Church, is one of four Baroque churches in the Philippines inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Built by Spanish Augustinian missionaries between 1787 and 1797, the church is known for its massive stone walls, high ceilings and elaborate façade, where a coconut tree, often described as a “tree of life”, frames an unusual depiction of Saint Christopher carrying the child Jesus.
The church's architecture reflects a distinctly Filipino interpretation of Spanish Baroque, incorporating indigenous, Muslim and Chinese influences. Its construction also employed traditional techniques of the period. Declared a national shrine and landmark in 1973, Miagao Church remains the town's most recognizable landmark.
Hablon: Weaving a Tradition Back to Life
Derived from the Hiligaynon word habol, meaning “to weave,” hablon is a handwoven fabric traditionally produced in Panay, particularly in the towns of Miagao, Oton, Dueñas, Igbaras and Badiangan. The craft predates the arrival of the Spanish, with women playing a prominent role in its production in Panay.
But the tradition nearly disappeared as younger generations lost interest in weaving. By the latter half of the 20th century and the dawn of the 21st, a generation gap had taken its toll. In recent years, social enterprises, government agencies and local communities have worked together to revive the craft.
In a makeshift weaving section set up by the church, a few weavers demonstrated how hablon is made. Their hands and feet moved in precise coordination, each seemingly knowing what the other had to do. Their feet worked the pedals beneath the loom while their hands guided the threads, pushing and tightening them into place to create intricate patterns. On a table nearby, finished fabrics displayed the result: colorful hablon cloth woven into intricate patterns and designs.
Today, cooperatives such as the Hablon by Indag-an Primary Multipurpose Cooperative continue to produce hablon, which has found new audiences in the fashion industry and at trade fairs in the Philippines and abroad.
Over plates of Ilonggo kakanin, including Baye Baye—an Iloilo specialty made from grated coconut and pinipig, served in rolls—and Ibos, the local take on suman, we met some of Miagao's women weavers. They told us about their upcoming participation in a trade fair at SM Megamall, just a week after our visit—a small but telling sign that a tradition once at risk of disappearing was finding its way into new hands and new markets.
Budbud Salt: Reviving Miagao's Coastal Tradition
Also in Miagao, we came across a small group of asinderos or traditional sea salt makers, who have helped revive the dying budbud salt-making tradition. It was not yet the season for salt-making when we visited, so we were unable to see the traditional process firsthand. Instead, we met Lorlie Noblezada, the group's head, who shared with us the story of a tradition she had helped bring back from the brink of disappearing.
Noblezada told us that she was among the first women to practice the traditional method, which she said had previously been passed down among men. “I used to see my uncles doing it when I was a child,” she told us in Tagalog.
Over time, the tradition faded as available shoreline dwindled, concrete seawalls replaced parts of the coast, and fewer people took an interest in the laborious process. A trained social worker, Noblezada took on the task of reviving budbud salt-making with the guidance of the University of the Philippines Visayas, the Department of Trade and Industry and organizations such as the Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (KALIPI).
Like the women at the looms, Noblezada was helping bring a tradition that had nearly disappeared back into the hands of a new generation.
By the time we left Miagao, it was difficult to think of heritage here as something confined to the stone walls of its famous church. It was also in the clockwork pull of the looms, in the hands of women weaving hablon, and in the patient work of turning seawater into salt. The church has endured for centuries, but these traditions have faced their own threats—from the loss of usable shoreline and concrete seawalls to a younger generation losing interest in the crafts of those who came before them. What makes Miagao memorable is not simply that it has preserved its past, but that its people continue to find ways to keep it alive.
Practical Travel Guide
How to Get There:
From Iloilo City, head to the Mohon Terminal in Arevalo district and take a jeepney bound for Miagao (approx. 45 mins to 1 hour). Alternatively, you can catch any bus bound for San Jose, Antique at the Molo Terminal and ask to be dropped off directly at the Miagao Church plaza.
Things to Experience:
Don't miss visiting the Hablon weaving cooperatives (like the one in Brgy. Indag-an) where you can purchase authentic woven textiles directly from the makers. Try the local kakanin (Baye Baye) available around the town plaza, and if visiting during the dry season, inquire about the Budbud salt-making process along the coast.
- Read about the island-hopping adventure that started this trip in Gigantes Islands.
- Explore more historic landmarks, colonial churches, and cultural sites across Iloilo.
- Find more cultural immersion ideas in our Travel Guides.
