The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines is working with communities across the country to develop community-based tourism that supports local livelihoods and helps preserve cultural heritage. In Sitio Sangab, Caraga, Davao Oriental, its Community-Based Tourism program brought training in product development, branding, social media marketing, and market access to members of the Mandaya community, whose traditional dagmay weaving remains central to their cultural identity. As a travel writer covering TPB's community-based tourism initiatives, I saw how the program seeks to connect traditional craftsmanship with opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
How the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Supports Mandaya Weavers in Davao Oriental
How the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines Supports Community-Based Tourism
Their responsibilities go far beyond logistics. They involve the delicate, often slow, process of engaging communities, earning trust, and working in places where culture, livelihood, and local identity are tightly interwoven.
TPB’s Domestic Tourism Promotions department keeps the program in motion by first identifying a community whose traditions or natural environment deserve both protection and support. What follows are days and weeks of relationship-building: listening to local leaders, coordinating with LGU units, conducting repeated site visits, before the long and meticulous task of facilitating the workshop itself can begin.
The chosen communities are typically located in areas where the surrounding environment needs safeguarding, or where long-standing cultural practices remain alive yet vulnerable, often in need of government assistance, training, and renewed visibility.
Partnering with the Mandaya of Sangab
One such trip that I recall fondly involves members of the Mandaya ethnic group in the ancestral domain of Sitio Sangab, located in the municipality of Caraga, Davao Oriental. They became a partner community of the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB)'s CBT program.
As one of the 11 major ethnic groups in the Davao Region, the Mandaya people hold a cultural identity steeped in an artistry rooted in land and ancestry. Their iconic Dagmay — a handwoven, mud-dyed textile adorned with traditional motifs — is not merely a fabric. It is a visual narrative of their myths, beliefs, and relationship with the natural world. Complemented by intricate embroidery passed down through generations, these crafts form a cultural identity at risk of being overshadowed by modern creations.
Empowering the Weavers
For many younger Mandaya, pursuing traditional weaving competes with the draw of more contemporary livelihood options. To preserve the art form, it has become essential not only to teach the youth about its cultural significance but also to show that heritage and economic sustainability can reinforce each other rather than exist in conflict.
The three-day Marketing Enhancement Program, held in Sitio Sangab, sought precisely this balance. Participants were introduced to the language of modern commerce: product development, branding, social media strategy (they were even asked to create a video reel introducing their creations), and even the nuances of collaborating with fashion designers and importers.
They learned how to position their work in markets that increasingly value authenticity and craftsmanship. More importantly, they were taught how to navigate these opportunities without sacrificing the integrity of their traditions.
In an era when many regional art forms across the Philippines face the threat of fading into memory, these workshops serve as timely reminders: communities can thrive while honoring their heritage. The Mandaya weavers of Caraga are not merely preserving a century-old tradition. They are weaving a future where culture, empowerment, and livelihood can coexist — strong threads bound together by their own hands.
You can read our sample Caraga, Davao Oriental itinerary here.
