Gowns and costumes inspired by water lily as well as handicrafts made from water lilies brought splashes of color and vibrant life to this year’s celebration of the 13th Las Piñas Water Lily Festival at the Villar SIPAG grounds in Las Piñas City.
The annual festival, a brainchild of Las Piñas daughter Senator Cynthia Villar, attracted families and both foreign and local tourists who flocked to the city to marvel at the display of creative and innovative water lily products and even participate in making handmade paper using this versatile fresh water flowering plant.
Villar, who initiated the use of water lilies as raw materials for handicrafts, lauded weavers from the country’s weaving and handicrafts industry for introducing modern concepts and innovations in the development and production of artistically designed water lily baskets, bags, textiles, trays, mats, hampers, slippers, chests, lampshades and other products.
“We have come a long way with the idea of transforming these flowers into unique arts and crafts. From swamping our waterways and causing floods in our city, these lovely blooms have become stable sources of livelihood not only for Las Piñas residents but also for many of our kababayans, especially those who live near the rivers,” the veteran legislator said.
“From swamping our waterways and causing floods in our city, these lovely blooms have become stable sources of livelihood not only for Las Piñas residents but also for many of our kababayans.”
The seasoned lawmaker expressed hope that the growing weaving and handicrafts industry would lure even more entrepreneurs and local residents to venture into water lily-making businesses and further boost the plant’s usefulness.
“I hope that the growing weaving and handicrafts industry would lure more entrepreneurs and local residents to venture into waterlily-making businesses to further boost the flowers’ usefulness.”
“I am always excited to see new products made out of these water lilies. I look forward to the time that the water lily industry is named as among the country’s top earning industries and water lily-made products considered as major goods for export to other countries,” the lady senator said.
Among the exhibitors who displayed their water lily crafts at the festival were the Water Lily Arts & Crafts Center (Las Piñas City), Sta. Rosa Livelihood Organization Inc. (Sta. Rosa, Laguna), Cardona Livelihood Products (Cardona, Rizal), Kabuhayan sa Water Lily (Cainta, Rizal), Joneg Foundation (Teresa, Rizal), Pililla Waterlily Weavers (Pililla, Rizal), Maynilad Waterlily Weavers (Potatan, Muntinlupa) and the Pateros Weavers.
Aside from the water lily products showcase and demonstration, festival visitors likewise feasted their eyes on the parade of 13 beautiful ladies for the festival’s Miss Las Piñas Water Lily 2018 pageant. The candidates who represented each of the city’s 13 barangays, wore uniquely designed mestiza ternos made of 100 percent water lily material.
There was also a street dancing competition that featured the city’s junior high school students as they competed in costumes and props that use water lilies as components.
Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, was among the judges in the festival’s beauty pageant and street dance competition.
Arlyn Claire Sangab of Barangay Pamplona 1 brought home the Miss Las Piñas Water Lily 2018 crown and P25,000 in cash. First runner-up, Rebecca Kirsten Lopez of Barangay Talon 4, won P15,000 in cash; while Rojielen Angela Autencio of Barangay Pulanglupa 1 went home with a cash prize of P10,000.
The pageant’s winners were judged based on the creativity of their mestiza ternos that must be made of 100 percent water lily material and should reflect the natural color of the plant. Other criteria for judging were physical beauty, intelligence and wit.
Meanwhile, students from the Golden Acres National High School bagged top honors in the street dance competition and brought home the grand champion trophy and the cash prize of P50,000.
Students from the CAA National High School meanwhile won second honors and brought home a trophy and P30,000 in cash; while the dance group from the Las Piñas East National High School won third honors and went home with a trophy and P20,000 in cash.
Each competing group in the street dance contest is composed of a maximum of 50 dancers. Participant groups were also required to submit their unique concept synopsis with water lily materials being used as the main component in their costumes and props.
