The Manila Collectible Co.: The Store with a Cultural Advocacy

- September 18, 2014, Thursday.

- Since it opened last year Intramuros, I had always wanted to visit The Manila Collectibles Co. (TMCC) primarily because of the store's unique Filipiniana souvenirs. For some odd reason I kept forgetting to pass by TMCC despite having the chance to visit Intramuros several times since TMCC opened. For most people who know me, I usually visit Intramuros when I need to tour both local and foreign friends around Manila, and I follow a certain path which I call the "Intramuros tourist path." This path is one straight line where the places of interest are conveniently located. I follow this path out of habit, and this is probably why the thought of visiting TMCC always slipped my mind - until today.

- Recently, the thought of going to TMCC struck me again because I suddenly had the urge to find more unique textile as inspiration for future outfits. I read through the net (you can see some info about them through their Facebook page) about the authentic textile and accessories they sold among a variety of items, so I decided to go to Intramuros today before I forget to visit TMCC for the nth time.

- I arrived at TMCC around 2pm, and expected a quick visit. TMCC is located at the second floor of the white building in Beaterio Street, right behind the Manila Cathedral. Upon entering the store, colorful native decorations beckon potential customers to enter the store. It felt like walking into a child's coloring book. They sold some native food, ornaments, ready-made children's indigenous costumes, various native textile, and replicas of pre-colonial artifacts.

The facade.

I love this multi-ethnic painting.

See?? It looks like a coloring book that came to life!!

Kulintang, and some Northern-Philippine rain hats

Manunggul jar replicas made from terra cotta, and the Manila Cathedral bell tower.

- While going around the store, I was able to have a brief chat with Mrs. Charisse Aquino-Tugade, an anthropologist who happens to be the owner of TMCC. I found out later on that her love for the Philippines and her extensive studies on the different ethno-linguistic groups of the Philippines led her to open TMCC. Through TMCC, Mrs. Tugade was able to express her advocacy to let Filipinos know about their pre-colonial past. (This is something I am also I'm trying to be involved with, as part of my general cultural advocacy.)

Golden Tara replicas with a Baroque-frame background.

My all-time favorite ancient relic: the Laguna Copperplate.

Filipino!!

Some ways to wrap the malong.

Inaul malong. I want to take them all, especially the ones with plenty of gold and other colors.

This is another intriguing relic: it is found not only in the Philippines, but also in other parts of Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. They're called by different names in different places, but they look alike.

The baybayin script with some miniature replica manunggul jars (burial jars.)

A horse designed by an artist with the ancient Siddham alphabet.

One of my favorite parts of the store.

Can I take them all home (for free????)

Close-up of one of the t'nalaks for sale.

- Later on, some of Mrs. Tugade's visitors arrived, and so she gave a brief tour of the store. She asked me to join after realizing that I was too interested in everything being sold there. During the next half hour or hour, I was able to learn a lot from her, both about the store and the different indigenous cultures of the Philippines. Regarding the store, TMCC does not sell antiques, because collectors would only purchase items and store them privately; Mrs. Tugade firmly stressed that this is a form of stealing from the country. In response to this, TMCC only sells replica items (such as the Laguna copperplate, or the Golden Tara statue -- I wanted to buy them but I still don't know where to display them.) Contrary to this, TMCC sells genuine textile such as t'nalak or inaul,) as the textile sold in the store were woven by local artists that come from country's various ethnic groups. TMCC works with a lot of local artists both from Manila and elsewhere (painters, carvers, weavers, potters, you name it,) as a way to support them and make them known.

Mrs. Charisse Aquino-Tugade starts the tour.

The famed lingling-o.

She tells us about the Golden Tara; it's one of the evidences of the Philippines' Hindu-Buddhist past.

- Apart from being a souvenir store, TMCC is also a venue for experiencing culture. They would sometimes hold traditional dance workshops or baybayin workshops for a minimum of 5 people with early booking, unless they have a special event. These cultural events would be held either in the store, or at the spacious open roof-top with a majestic view of the Manila Cathedral.

- As for the things I learned about the country, Mrs. Tugade was able to confirm my long-time speculation of the Southern-Philippine ikat (tie-dyed fabric) was related to the Central Asian (i.e. Uzbek, Kazakh, etc.) tie-dyed fabric. While Central Asia usually does these dyes on silk, Philippine ikat, as well as other Southeast-Asian ikat, are made on plant-based fibers. Also, many forms of ikat in the country can mean really different things even though they may seem to be similar to an untrained eye, depending on the ethnic group, depending on the color, or depending on the material. To prove this, Mrs. Tugade showed the T'bolis' t'nalak fabric as a kind of fabric that is more versatile, (but cannot be used as fabric for any form of footwear,) as opposed to another ikat from northern Philippines that was used exclusively for burial rituals. Designers who use these kinds of fabric carelessly, like designers who boast their t'nalak shoes, are insensitive designers who clearly did not consult the ethnic group involved for proper use of the fabric. The same thing goes for accessories. (Speaking of accessories, I was eyeing a unisex T'boli beaded belt with brass bells. It fit me perfectly, but did not settle very well with my wallet - it was 3500php!! I don't think I'll be able to use the belt that often too, so I might just save the money for something I will be able to use more frequently.)

One of the better quality t'nalaks that they have.

The oldest ikat was found in the Philippines!!

Another high-quality t'nalak.

A Northern-Philippine ikat used for death rituals.

Inaul malong from Maguindanao.

With one of my favorite Philippine fabrics.

- After the TMCC tour, I left the store empty-handed, but with a fully-loaded mind (and camera.) I left after a surprising three hours in TMCC (considering the store's area isn't too big.) I also feel fortunate to have met Mrs. Charisse Tugade, who is now one of the people I admire and respect. I hope to be able to bring cultures closer to people in more creative ways, and touch more young people like she has done with TMCC. Other than this, I also look forward to visiting more indigenous groups of the country, particularly those from Mindanao (i.e. Maranao, T'boli, Badjao, Tausug, etc.) However, one thing is most likely to happen in the near future: I will visit TMCC again.