ABACA FIBER

Known worldwide as
Manila hemp, the country’s
premier fiber has come a
long way from its humble
beginning as raw material of
the ancient Filipinos’ clothes
and footwear.
 Abaca is a Musasea family plant
native to Asia and planted in humid
areas including in the Philippines and
East of Indonesia. Abaca fibers are
extensively used to produce ropes,
woven fabrics, tea bags, etc. It is also
called biodegradable and
sustainable fiber.
 The Philippines is the greatest supplier of
abaca fiber around the world. It supplies 85%
of the needed abaca fiber around the globe.
This is the reason why abaca fiber is also called
Manila hemp. Abaca is not a hemp but since
hemp was the main source of fibers for
centuries, the abaca fiber was named Manila
hemp.
 Abaca has been cultivated in the
Philippines since the 1500s and became
known worldwide in the 1800s mainly used
as ropes in ship rigging. It is abundantly
growing in tropical countries such as
Philippines. The Eastern Visayas is the
widest abaca supplier in the country. Second
is the Bicol region.
 It came from banana family,
but unlike banana trees that
bear flowers and fruits, abaca
has less edible fruit. It is one of
the strongest natural fibers in
the world.
How do
they
process
abaca
fiber?
First, cut off the stalk of the abaca plant.
The stalk is usually green in color.

Then, the stalk will be pulled through the

knife scrapping off the none filamented
materials. This the raw form of abaca.

Next, it will be sliced into quarters lengthwise. You will need a special
knife. It will look like that of a paper cutting board where the knife is
pressed halfway down and is secured in that position.
 This raw fiber will then be hung up until it is
dried. When it is dried, it will be brought to
inspection. Abaca has different grades of fibers.
The excellent fibers are then separated from the
rest. The selected excellent fibers will be combed
to remove tangles and other impurities.
 The excellent exported abaca fibers are used in
making tea bags, sausage casings, pill coatings, paper
products, surgical masks and insulation for computer
chips. As of making native bags, abaca fibers can be
dyed in different colors and variety of designs out of
these. Abaca fibers do well with native bags because it is
strong and will last for a longer use.
WTA stained glass and abaca chapel

The Chapel of St. Benedict and St.

Scholastica by WTA Architecture and
Design Studio
 In 2009, the Diocese of Catarman,
Northern Samar, appealed to the
Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica’s
Priory for assistance in building a
mission hospital. WTA Architecture
and Design Studio took on the
project.
 In the hospital courtyard is a
small chapel for the sisters and
patients. The Chapel of St. Benedict
and St. Scholastica is formed by
planes that come together as if they
were folded in prayer. Like praying
hands or a kneeling figure, this
abstract form creates a mood of hope
and spiritual seeking appropriate for
the setting. The form is, in fact,
inspired by the roofs of nearby
houses making the chapel resonate
with the locals and intriguing them
with the unfamiliar scale.
 The chapel’s roof is also its walls. Roof
and walls are one, and so the structure is
one continuous mass. The wall planes are
made of treated abaca fibers
called almacan, wrapped around a
lightweight steel structure. The structure
is a sculptural skeleton of relatively
soaring proportions, rising to the center
and tapering to four corners reaching
out to the edges of the courtyard.
 The entry portal as well
as the back of the altar are
bordered by a pair of
stained glass windows,
creating a mirrored imagery
of entry and ascension.