Business description

Balay ni Atong has been established by sole proprietor Al Valenciano as a located

at Pindangan, City of San Fernando, La Union. The business incorporates its community
as weavers in manufacturing different kinds of hand woven textiles products known as
inabel such as blankets, pillow cases, stonewares, clothes and many more.

With combined industry of almost a decade, Balay ni Atong showcases hand

woven textiles done on traditional wooden looms by Ilocano artisans using weaver
techniques passed on through generations. Designs of antique blankets and clothing
materials used from 1800’s to mid 1900’s can be seen in the woven patterns on the fabric.

Vision – mission & OBJECTIVE

Mission:

 To reintroduce inabel to the local market by incorporating the fabric into

everyday items.
 To keep the tradition of weaving alive that enables the local artisans to
continue their craft and helps new generations learn or hone their skills at
the study centre.
 To marry traditional techniques with modern products by working with
weaving communities from the Ilocos region.
 To create something that they could fall in love with: artisanal products that
have both form and function and are truly one of a kind.

Vision:

The Balay ni Atong bigger vision is to established many Study Center for
Traditional Handwoven Textiles of the Philippines and to achieve sustainability for

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 both scholars and weavers that strives to re-introduce the inabel “not as an
ordinary textile, but as artworks produced by artisans.”

Objectives:
Adhering to authentic traditional methods, Balay ni Atong has innovating on
traditional designs and colors to appeal to a whole new generation of consumers.
For example, Valenciano plays with the scale of the traditional kusikus (whirlpool)
pattern or even isolates elements of the pattern to create a new, modern look. The
product of the fusion of tradition craft and modern aesthetic is contemporary
Ilocano handwoven textiles with rich coloring and bold designs. With their
innovations, Balay ni Atong is continuing an important part of a long cultural
heritage of the Ilocos region.

Social responsibility

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PRODUCTS OFFERED

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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE ACTIVITIES

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 REFERENCES

(n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2019, from http://www.balayniatong.com/

Bellas Artes Projects. (2017, December 04). BAP TALKS: INTERVIEW WITH AL
VALENCIANO. Retrieved from
http://www.bellasartesprojects.org/blog/2017/11/8/bap-talks-al-valenciano-and-
len-cabili

Del Mundo, I. Q. (2017, July 29). Weaving the heirlooms of the future. Retrieved March
2, 2019, from https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-
magazine/2017/07/29/1722718/weaving-heirlooms-future

INABEL: Modern Design from a Centuries-old Tradition. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1499963305/inabel-modern-design-from-a-
centuries-old-traditio

Orejas, T. (2013). Artist helps improve 'inabel' makers' lives. Retrieved March 2, 2019,
from https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsinfo.inquirer.net/318421/artist-helps-
improve-inabel-makers-lives/amp