A New Place of Philippine Cultural Treasures

I found a new place to regularly visit to know more deeply about the Philippines. It's Tesoro's "Culture Bearers: The Filipino Living Treasures" collections in Manila. Here's a description of the place from its brochure: "The Philippines is not Manila alone. The Philippines is Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao -- a composite title for a group of 7,107 islands that adorn the Pacific seas. Every isle is a pearl of distinct loveliness to cherish; every ethnic group of Filipinos has a special story to tell. A visitor to the Philippines will find it difficult to really know our fair country during the short time alloted to his stay here. Because we are proud of our land and our people, we have gathered a rich and varied collection of our nation's products and built Tesoro's treasure house of things Philippine. Igorot masterpieces from the hinterlands, exquisite woodcarvings from the lowlands, native handbags from the Bicol Peninsula, magnificent hand-embroidery from the central regions, delicate pineapple and banana silk fibers from the sunny Visayas, exotic brass from the Muslim South -- a thousand and one items to delight the eyes of the beholder. The present day Filipino is a child of a commingling of diverse races. This is the secret of the admirable versatility of his talents. This is the reason why so many variant products have emanated from the workings of the nation's soul. The management of Tesoro's have endeavoured to bring under one roof a complete display of the many treasures of Philippine handicraft. It will therefore not be an exaggeration to say that "A VISIT TO TESORO'S IS A VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES IN MINIATURE."
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