It took a while, but a trainer was found to teach Biguenos how to make Pampanga lanterns. It’s three months before Christmas and lantern makers are now busy producing lanterns for sale. It seemed impossible to find someone from Pampanga to agree to leave his workplace at this time of the year. But the persistence of Mayor Eva paid off as TESDA OIC Joel Pilotin stormed other regional offices to find a trainer. And a trainer was found in the person of Rico Paras. For twelve days, Manong Rico and his assistant stayed in Vigan to impart their knowledge to 25 trainees on how to come up with those brightly blinking colorful lanterns. Pampanga Lantern Making is the latest training conducted at the Vigan Skills Training Institute. Trainees consisted of out of school youth, PWDs (People with Disabilities) and some of the graduates of the training for barangay electricians. The training is timely, with Christmas just around the corner. It is not easy to assemble a Pampanga lantern. The trainees developed blisters and numbed fingers bending and shaping wires and putting pieces together to form Christmas symbols. Depending on the creator’s imagination, one can create a parol as big as 10 feet with various designs and colors. At the end of the day when the trainees beheld their creations, they instantly forgot their blisters and looked forward to making a living out of what they have just learned. They happily took home the lanterns that they made.
With the training, the city government just did another first—Pampanga Parols—made in Vigan. –Geozita H. Guerrero, CMDO.
City Information: (077) 722-8771 – 75 local 206
City Tourism: (077) 722-8771 – 75 local 104
admin@vigancity.gov.ph