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GLOBALIZATION AND THE CARVING CAPITAL OF

THE PHILIPPINES

After viewing CNN Philippines’ episode about Paete, Laguna from their TV
magazine program called “Profiles”, I’ve been made aware of how the province’s
culture and reputation was sculpted throughout the years. The video documentation
includes accounts from locals of Paete whom witnessed its carving industry’s rising
moments as well as its struggles or challenges faced. It also described how
globalization had its fair share of influence to the industry.

Since then, Paete has been renowned for its highly skilled wood carvers and
craftsmen. It’s quite amazing to know that almost every family in the province had at
least one member who is a wood carver. Wood carving isn’t just a hobby in the
province, it was also their culture and livelihood. Most residents rely greatly on wood
carving as a source of income. It even got its name from the word “Paet” meaning
“chisel”. Because of this, it has officially gained its title as “The Carving Capital of
the Philippines.

Watching this short episode about how glorious Paete’s carving culture is, it made me
realize how skillful, talented, industrious, and innovative Filipinos are. Because of
these attributes and the current situation of globalization at the time, the industry had
its proud moments. The rise of Paete’s carving industry started way back when the
Hispanics discovered the province and recognized that wood carving can be utilized
as a way to encourage evangelization at the time. This explains why wood sculptures
are prominent in most churches in the country. With the booming business in wood
carving, it eventually gave birth to Taka or the paper mache industry together with
other mediums such as resin, making Paete one of the busiest places in the country
during holidays.

However, despite all its glory, Paete’s wood carving industry also faced some tough
challenges even up to this day. When raw materials started becoming scarce, wood
carvers slowly vanished and majority were lured into other career routes where they
could apply their carving skills on. Because of low labor cost, a lot of carvers from
Paete chose to work as kitchen artists in hotels, restaurants, and cruise lines to receive
higher pay. Also, the downside of Taka or paper mache’s birth was when the industry
was taken over by China as they entered the market after they brought people from
Paete to produce products for them and brought these people back in the Philippines.
All Taka products that originated from Paete are now coming from China. This
negatively affected the province’s economy.

As time went by, the culture of carving or sculpting was put aside and almost
forgotten by many locals of Paete, and even the whole country. Paete has been, and
still is, waiting for the government’s support to revive the province’s culture in wood
carving.