How His Creation Became Famous
Each time Teofilo Garcia leaves his farm in San Quintin, Abra, he takes pride in wearing his creation, a tabungaw, which is made of the native gourd. As a result, he got many orders because many people had discovered the wonders of the tabungaw as a practical all-weather headgear.
Teofilo Garcia was bestowed the title of “Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan” (National Living Treasure) and he has been invited to give talks and demonstrations locally and abroad. He even opened up his home so people could see some of his unique creations and genuinely taught local school children the art of Tabungaw making. Up until now, he's innovating on his traditional designs based on inspirations' recent travels.
Sen. Loren Legarda receives a tabungaw or traditional gourd hat from Teofilo Garcia, a National Living Treasure or GAMABA, during the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) Dayaw Festival 2016.
“I salute him for his exceptional talent in making tabungaw or gourd casque and his dedication to preserve heritage. He makes tabungaw with excellent quality yet he never stops innovating. He continues to explore ways on how to improve his craft and I am honored to be a recipient of his masterpiece."
Loren Legarda
Three-term Senator of the Philippines
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
(National Living Treasures Award)
This award gives recognition to Filipino traditional craftsmen or artisans whose skills have reached a high level of technical and artistic excellence and who are tasked to pass on to the present generation knowledge threatened with extinction.
Because of the GAMABA recognition, Sudden resurgence of interest in the hat made Teofilo Garcia decide to pass his knowledge to San Quintin National High School Students to preserve and continue the art of making Tabungaw to the following generations.
To fulfill his pledge, Teofilo has extended his knowledge to local school children who attend his workshops. Since 2014 the students of San Quintin National High School have been making their Tabungaw Graduation Hats.
