Teofilo Garcia (born March 27, 1941)[1] is a Filipino hatter who is regarded as a National Living Treasure in the Philippines for making tabungaw hats, a type of Ilocano headwear.
Garcia, who has five children, primarily works as a farmer. He primarily cultivates rice and tobacco and tends to a herd of cows. During the period when he does neither of these, Garcia grows tabungaw.[5] He is a native of the town of San Quintin in Abra.[6]
Garcia learned how to create tabungaw hats and weave basket from his grandfather when he was 15 years old.[5] He eventually became known for producing tabungaw hats – his hats were reputed to be the most sturdy and smooth in his community.[2] Garcia himself would wear tabungaw hat in his daily life and he could create 100 headwear in a year if the gourd harvest is good.[5]
He would also innovate on the creation of tabungaw hats experimenting on using nito and bamboo fibers as decor. The interior of Garcia's hats would also vary in decoration.[2]
^"Official Calendar". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
^ abcd"Sagisag Kultura: Teofilo Garcia". CultureEd Philippines (in Tagalog). Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP), National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
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