Thursday, March 26, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: sapatos (shoes)


Hindi ito ang paborito kong sapatos ha? Naaliw lang ako sa pagkamalikhain ng Pinoy. Hulaan mo nga kung ano ang materyal ng sapatos na 'to? Sirit na...

Ito ay gawa sa tangkay ng water hyacinth, isang uri ng halaman na nabubuhay sa tubig-tabang; yong mga palutang-lutang d'yan sa Pasig River at Laguna de Bay. Halaman...baka kung ano ang iniisip mong lumulutang!

Mabilis pala dumami ang water hyacinth at nagiging problema sa maraming ilog, sapa at latian dahil sagabal ito sa daloy ng tubig, nagiging tirahan ng lamok, at nahaharang nito ang sikat ng araw na nagiging dahilan sa pagkamatay ng mga isda at iba pang halaman. Mabuti naman at may pakinabang rin pala ang water hyacinth. May nakita na akong mga baskets, placemats at trays na hinabi mula sa water hyacinth, pero di ko akalain na pwede rin pala itong gawing sapatos at tsinelas.

Gawa sa Liliw, Laguna ang mga tsinelas...magaan at maaliwalas sa paa ang mga ito, bagay na bagay ngayong panahon ng tag-init. Natanong ko sa nagbabantay ng booth kung pwede ang sapatos sa tag-ulan. Meron daw itong protective coating sa labas at may fabric liner naman sa loob kaya pwede raw itong isuot kahit tag-ulan. O di ba, kakaiba? Environmentally-friendly na sapatos at tsinelas! Ang tanong ay kung magsusuot ng ganitong sapatos ang mga Pinoy.

This is not a pair of my favorite shoes. I am just amazed at the Filipino innovative spirit. Guess what material was used on this pair of shoes. Make a wild guess...

This pair of shoes is made from stalks of water hyacinth, an aquatic plant that grows on rivers, swamps, and lakes. You may have seen them free-floating at the Pasig River or Laguna de Bay. It's one of the fastest growing plants that is known to double its population in just two weeks. No wonder, water hyacinth has become a problem in some areas---they choke rivers and waterways. When uncontrolled, water hyacinth can cover lakes and ponds entirely; and this impacts water flow, blocks sunlight from reaching native aquatic plants, and starves the water of oxygen, often killing fish. This aquatic plant also create a prime habitat for mosquitoes.

I am glad that innovative Filipinos have found something useful from this harmful plant. I have seen baskets, placemats and trays woven from water hyacinth but I didn't know they can also be made into shoes and slippers.

The slippers are made from Liliw, Laguna, the tsinelas capital. They're lightweight and cool on the feet---perfect in this hellish weather. I asked the person who was manning the booth if the shoes can be used during rainy season. She explained that the material is coated to protect it from the elements, and the interior has a fabric liner. Great idea---environmentally-friendly shoes and slippers! The question is, do you think Filipino [men] would wear the water hyacinth shoes? :D

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

21 comments:

George said...

How very interesting that someone has been able to turn a problem into an opportunity. I wonder how the shoes feel when worn?

♥♥ Willa ♥♥ said...

wow! ang gaganda naman at ang galing, 2 beses lang ako napunta jan sa Liliw at talaga namang pugad yan ng lahat ng klaseng chinelas,galing pinoy talaga!!!

Sidney said...

"plants that is known to double its population in just two weeks"

So you buy two pairs of shoes and after two weeks you got four pairs...
That is nice !

SASSY MOM said...

Galing talaga ng Pinoy, malikhain. Ganda niyan.

escape said...

ang weird nga ng unang sapatos. buti na lang klinaro mo na hindi mo paborito yon at lalong hindi sayo yon.

Anonymous said...

Naku, nakarating na rin ako sa Liliw, at sobra rin akong natuwa sa pagkamalikhain nila doon. Mura pa ang sapatos! :-)

Anonymous said...

Impressive indeed!! Mayroon kaya silang online store? Naku thanks for sharing this, talagang may natutunan akong karagdagan sa talento ng Pinoy!

Happy LP

Thess

Anonymous said...

Ang galing ng entry mo. Gusto ko yung mga ganyang klase ng tsinelas, magaan nga. Yung abaca na parang halos wala kang suot sa paa.

Anonymous said...

Durable ba ito? Baka ilang suot lang tapos na ang boksing. Kung mura puede na rin siguro maski madaling masira. I'd like to get one for myself.

Anonymous said...

galing ha, ngayon ko lang nabalitaan na may ganyan na pala shoes, iba talaga pinoy.

Marites said...

ang galing naman nyan..ang pinoy talaga, magaling maski saan.

Anonymous said...

Ang gaganda ng gawang liliw, pero ok ba suutin? di masakit?

cross eyed bear said...

astig! mabuhay pinoy!

an2nette said...

Hi! ang ganda naman ng mga sinelas na made of natural products, i bought 2 sandals na yari sa liliw at komportable talaga.

Anonymous said...

proudly filipino made :)

ang aking sapatos ay andito naman:

krismas gip :D

HAPPY LP po! :)

Unknown said...

hahaha that is very funny, Sidney! but don't expect to have water hyacinth flowers coming out of your shoes after 2 weeks.:D

Unknown said...

hello, bertn! i don't think this material is expensive. the slippers are durable na pambahay siguro. just don't wash it every week.:D

Unknown said...

hi, Gizelle! it's very comfortable, ang gaan pa, parang wala kang suot.

Unknown said...

hello, dong! weird ba? hahaha it looks like a shoe to me.:D

Unknown said...

hi, thess! i don't think the company in Liliw sells on line. they have a retail store in Liliw and sells during national trade fairs organized by CITEM. i have the contact numbers of the company in Liliw if you're interested to get in touch with them.

Anonymous said...

wow! eco-friendly nga! export quality ito! puedeng pagkakitaan ng pinas! :)