Today, we are now in the modern ways of living, the Basaynon folks particularly the women in Basey town has innovated and modified various designs aside from the usual crafting of an sleeping mats. Those species of reeds profusely grow in swampy areas, as well as a number of palm species, and rattan were being modified into a colorful bags, wine holders, wall mats, flower base, table runners, among other highly imaginative designs.
These indigenous grown materials when maintain cool or ventilated areas, away from the direct sunlight rays, are smooth to touch.
The wine holders
The banig in Basey could indisputably claim to be the most extensively used in the country. One could find the this waraynon product in almost markets of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, not to mention the many international dealers. This popularity basically stems from its attractive colors as well as its highly affordable prices.
Banig with various colors
The raw material is the tikog, a grass that grows profusely in swampy places. The process is very much similar to the Maranao and the limited color use make these two traditions resemble each other in color tones. But their design differ markedly.
Most often, mat-makers basically has a border design and a central motif which often is a stylized rendition of flowers such as sampaguita, gumamela, rose, or some orchid. Most of the time, the motif is always done in a contrasting color or just plain natural tikog color. The more complicated ones come in multicolored tones and correspondingly cost more. Once in a while, a mat showing the excellent likeness of a major and highly recognizable public figure, whether local or foreign, would appear. One particular practitioner in the area do this "portrait mat" - a highly specialized artistic skill which is difficult to pass on down the younger generation.
The technique for creating the design on the Basey mat could be termed as embroidery since the design is inserted after the basic plain background mat has been fully woven. The design therefore is superficial to the basic mat, just an overlay of contrasting color.
Tikog mats various colors and designs are displayed during one of the Trade Exhibits in Tacloban City.
