Who is Teofilo ?
Teofilo Garcia
Biography
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Abra
In case you’re wondering what Tabungaw is, it’s an Ilocano term for “Upo”, also known as Bottle Gourd or White Pumpkin. Teofila Garcia, on the other hand, is known to be the last of the Tabungaw hat makers, a traditional headgear made of tabungaw or gourd.
Born on March 27, 1941, Teofilo, an Abra local started the art of Kattukong or Tabungaw hat making from his grandfather Hipolito at the age of 15.
He dedicated most of his life working as a farmer to send his five children to school. He also devoted his time planting “upo”, his main material in producing the traditional tabungaw. It’s said that it takes at least seven days to finish one tabungaw hat, as he uses only simple hand tools that he designed himself for producing his final product.
Currently, Teofilo is invited to give talks and demonstrations locally and abroad. He even opened up his home so people can see some of his unique creations, and also genuinely teaches local school children the art of Tabungaw making. Up until now, he’s innovating on his traditional designs based on inspirations recent travels. He has also developed unique patterns he learned when he was young.
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