Philippine Wood Carving And Its Exporting Potential

Wood Carving has fascinated a lot of people and Filipinos have been influenced by different cultures that make our woodcraft unique. Different styles and different tastes from our native heritage and culture that make us who we are today.

The Philippines has been known for a lot of things, but woodcraft is something we are naturally good at.  From the northern part of the country down to the south, there is always a wood carving or sculpting province that will amaze us.

Wood carving capital of the Philippines

Paete, Laguna is really proud about their wood carvings. Paete, whose name was derived after a chisel or paet, is a small town on the northeastern part of Laguna. It is famous for its sweet lanzones and its finely made woodcraft that it was declared the Carving Capital of the Philippines on March 15, 2005. They are simply amazing at it. From making statues, sculptures, furniture to other things that you can name of that can be made of wood. As if they treat this skill as they’re hobby or past time by creating different images and statues out of wood.  Most of the woodcarvers in Paete are third generation woodworking folks, this skill is still being passed on to the next generation of woodcarvers.

Philippine Woodcraft (image source - https://dztp.wordpress.com/)

Exporting state and its potential

While most of these woodcarvings will be distributed locally, some of these handmade products are being exported internationally.

Paete’s local economy relies mainly on its handicrafts and sculptures, they had also suffered from foreign interventions that brought in new technologies and mass produced their people’s works. An example was when Paete’s expertise in papier-mache was adopted by the Chinese, which eventually made their country the top supplier of papier-mache crafts in the world. Although, Paete artistry and tradition can never be commercially produced for a mass market, artistry and uniqueness will also be the edge of their products that can create high-value pieces.

(image source - Nestor Santiago - http://www.imagesphilippines.com/viewimage.php?id=551)

In other places in the country, some use a more Filipino trait of design by using sawali and bamboo. Although some designs show a European influence, you can still tell that it is a Filipino made product because of the bamboo material used. It is also seen as the savior of the wood carving industry in the Philippines not just because of the low cost of the raw material but also the curiosity  and interest of foreign buyers.

ManilaTrade supports the local wood carving industry

At ManilaTrade we’re looking for Pinoy-made products that can be featured in our website to be seen by international viewers. This gives us more exposure and an opportunity to export our Philippine products. If you know of any wood carving businesses in the Philippines you can refer them to us at through email at John@manilatrade.com thanks!