Do you remember the timeless children’s story entitled “The Legend of the Pineapple”?
In the story, the fruit is associated with a lazy child. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s full of moral values.
However, for the weavers of the province of Aklan, this fruit has a different lesson to tell— it’s about hope and fortune.
It all began with Elizabeth Rasonable. She grew up in the peaceful, calm corners of Aklan, where the rhythmic clack-clack of a handloom was a common sound. For her, it was more than just the noise of labor; it was the heartbeat of their culture.
With a gaze of curiosity, she spent years watching her husband’s family meticulously strip and knot the fine fibers of pineapple leaves. In just two months, guided by a friend and fueled by natural grace, she mastered the craft herself.
She still vividly remembers her first loom—a gift of love, hand-built by her husband. That simple wooden frame became the cornerstone of their lives.
As her skills grew, her husband eventually joined her at the loom. Together, they turned a traditional craft into a lifeline.
Weaving for sustainable livelihood
Today, Elizabeth and her husband are powerhouses in the Aklan textile industry. They oversee the production of 300 to 400 yards of piña seda (pineapple silk) weekly, supplying markets in Iloilo, Capiz, and Manila. Their business has expanded into high fashion—designing exquisite Barong Tagalog garments—and furniture, where her husband crafts the wooden looms that empower the next generation.
The fruits of their labor are visible in more than just fabric. Their success allowed them to provide their children with a quality education; two of their children have already graduated from college, with the younger ones following close behind. They have even built two three-story houses that serve as both residences and business hubs.
Currently, Elizabeth serves as the President of the Aklan Piña Fiber Weaver and Workers Association. She recently received a prestigious award at the 26th Piña and Fiber Festival for her innovation and preservation of the craft.
In her hands, a single strand of piña fiber is fragile. But when woven together with the strength of the community and the “gold” of the silk, it becomes unbreakable.
SLP’s life-changing impact
The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) served as a vital lifeline for Elizabeth and the weaving communities of Aklan following the catastrophic impact of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. With the piña industry’s raw materials and infrastructure devastated, the SLP stepped in to bridge the gap between disaster and recovery.
With the help of SLP, an intensive three-day training session was organized. The design was to sharpen the skills of local weavers.
To ensure participation was accessible, the program covered essential costs, including meals and transportation allowances for the weavers.
It also provided starter kits, as their tools had been lost due to the storm. These kits were fundamental to restarting production, as they included high-quality looms, fibers, and the basic materials required to resume the craft immediately.
Beyond individual training, the SLP facilitated a linkage between Elizabeth and fellow weavers in Makato, Tangalan, Libacao, and Banga to ensure a steady supply of equipment and raw materials for piña weaving.
Results of SLP Intervention
Through the structured support of the SLP, Elizabeth was able to transition from a disaster survivor to a community supplier by providing the initial resources. The program empowered her not only by enhancing her weaving skills but also by expanding her access to wider markets for high-quality equipment and fibers.
With the program’s foundation, she advocated for and provided fairer prices for piña seda fabric, ensuring that weavers were compensated justly for their labor.
Most of all, it sustains their heritage because their initially small business evolved into a sustainable business model that continues to support the livelihoods of weavers across several municipalities today.
“I learned to help fellow weavers not just to survive, but to thrive,” Elizabeth reflects. “We must avoid a ‘crab mentality.’ Negativity holds us back; we should focus on the positive.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt, Elizabeth’s enterprise became a sanctuary. While other industries shuttered, the home-based nature of piña weaving allowed her community to keep working.
She stepped up, buying cloth from local weavers at fair prices, ensuring that even as the world slowed down, the profits stayed in the hands of those who earned them.
The story of the child who turned into a pineapple is no longer the only tale to tell. Now, there is the story of Elizabeth Rasonable and the hundreds of weavers in Aklan who interlaced threads of piña and silk to preserve a heritage that nearly frayed under the weight of poverty.
In Aklan, the pineapple is no longer just a fruit; it is now a beacon of social development, community empowerment, and income sustainability. (NT)
