Commonly known as the de la Cruz House of Pina, its showroom and production area is located in No. 12, New Buswang, Kalibo, Aklan. Owned by the “Mother of Pina” Susima de la Cruz started and continued the traditional Pina weaving alive in Aklan. In the 1980s, she organized the weavers around Kalibo and made her house their office, production plant and warehouse.
Not long after, the finest products of the group of Susima have reached the halls of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., in Kyoto, Japan where the Japanese are using until today the abi or the wide sash made of pina and the handicrafts made of nito filled the entire floor of Williame Sanoma’s luxury showroom in San Francisco, USA.
Eventually, in 1992 Susima handed over the business to her daughter Rhodora with a condition that weaving should be kept traditional. Rhodora provided the business a system and with the help of the Department of Trade and Industry, they were able to put up a showroom and connect with local and foreign markets. DTI then invited Rhodora to venture into nito handicrafts. They started making handwoven handicrafts such as napkin rings, placemats and trays that are exported to the United States and locally retailed through SM’s Kultura Filipino and Balikbayan Handicrafts.
Traditional weaving of pina faces a lot of challenges especially in the structure of the company where they have no factory to offer as all are woven at the homes of their members. Proper management though made them beat deadlines of orders and the set-up defies modern day production efficiencies.
To know more about their traditional weaving and product lines, one can simply pay a visit at their house in New Buswang.