Here Are the Newbie Featured Artisans We Discovered and Loved at LIKHA 5
The celebration of Filipino artisans and craftsmanship continues in LIKHA 5, the latest installment of the “LIKHA: Likha Ko, Lahi Ko” series of events honoring our local artisans and craftsmen.
This year’s showcase marks a significant milestone for LIKHA, premiering its new and permanent home located in the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls on October 2-4, 2026.
LIKHA was launched in 2023 to highlight the ingenuity of Filipino artisans from every part of the archipelago, affording those from geographically-challenged regions an equal opportunity to showcase their skills. It was spearheaded by the Office of the First Lady to enrich Filipino crafts, strengthen the local economy, and eventually bring the artisans’ products to the global market.
More than a product showcase, LIKHA also holds workshops, demonstrations, talks, and conversations with artisans during its run to pass on traditional knowledge, nurture the next generation of Filipino makers, and make Filipino crafts more accessible to a wider audience and patrons.
“If LIKHA 1–4 proved native arts and crafts to be our nation’s best-kept secret, LIKHA 5 guarantees its continuity. We are focused on ensuring that these art forms remain living cornerstones of our national heritage for generations to come,” said First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, who led the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside Department of Education (DepEd) secretary Sonny Angara and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro.
LIKHA 5 collectively features emerging talents and established artisans. 30 booths feature breakthrough crafts and makers, 48 booths are from 58 LIKHA graduate artisans, and 28 booths are dedicated to legacy artisans and brands.
LIKHA finds a permanent home at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls, which was inaugurated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on January 15, 2026. The venue is a modern rebirth of the PhilTrade Center established in 1979 by Former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos. Today, the 8,000-square-meter hub located within the International Trade Center along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City houses the Likha Tent—a 2,000-square-meter events and exhibition space available for lease.
Gantsilyo (crochet) is transformed into tactile textile art by Perla Cajandab, a self-taught artist from Allen, Northern Samar. Drawing from childhood memories of crochet and the festive atmosphere of the barrio fiesta, she creates intricate crochet paintings inspired by Philippine festivals. Her work brings a familiar domestic craft into a contemporary art form while highlighting the value of slow, handmade work.
Lorenzo Wooden Bags is a craft brand from Paete, Laguna, where woodcarving has been passed down through generations of local artisans. Established in 2020, the brand brings this longstanding carving tradition into contemporary design by transforming acacia wood into intricately carved bags. Each bag takes around 45 days to complete, combining traditional hand-carving techniques with sanding, assembly, and finishing.
Pabalat, or Borlas de Pastillas, is a traditional paper-cutting art from Bulacan that transforms delicate Japanese paper (papel de hapon) into intricately designed wrappers for pastillas. The craft requires patience and precision, with designs often depicting flowers, landscapes, figures, and Filipino scenes. There are two brands featured at LIKHA 5 that highlight this tradition. For Ocampo’s Specialty Products, a second-generation artisan from Malolos, Naty, continues the legacy of her mother, Nanay Luz Ocampo, one of the pioneering practitioners of pabalat. Through her work and teaching, she helps pass on this delicate Filipino folk art to future generations. The next one is Pabalat Contemporary by Anna H. Bautista. An interior designer, educator, curator, and Associate Professor at the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts and Design, Bautista learned pabalat under the late Nanay Luz Ocampo. She creates original patterns and develops contemporary pabalat workshops that introduce the art form to younger generations while remaining rooted in its cultural significance.
Guiuan’s shellcraft tradition is rooted in centuries of local knowledge and craftsmanship. One of its historic expressions can be found in the La Inmaculada Concepción Parish Church of Guiuan, a National Cultural Treasure, where local artisans used shells and corals to create intricate mosaics and ornamental details during the Spanish Colonial Period. Today, Guiuan artisans transform shells into mirrors, clocks, curtains, bags, and decorative pieces. At Daiz Enterprises, Ma. Chona B. Daiz continues her family’s shellcraft tradition, while the Sulangan Micro Entrepreneurs Association represents a wider community of artisans who developed their own shellcraft skills and came together to create livelihoods through locally made products.
In the agricultural community of Barangay Celestino Villacin in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, local women transform cogon grass into handcrafted woven products. Using a locally available natural material, the community has developed weaving into a source of livelihood and economic opportunity.
The Higantes are towering papier-mâché figures that have become an iconic symbol of Angono, Rizal, traditionally featured in the town’s festivals and celebrations. Their colorful costumes, expressive faces, and larger-than-life forms reflect Angono’s vibrant artistic heritage, while Higantitos reinterpret these beloved figures in smaller, hand-crafted and hand-painted forms. Gerry Bantang, a Higantes maker from Angono, continues the tradition of creating these distinctive figures, while visual artist Zisa Blanca brings her own contemporary interpretation to the Higantitos through colorful and intricate hand-painted designs.