FPRDI Identifies Wood Species at Aguinaldo Shrine
December 6, 2011
FPRDI experts Mr. Fernando C. Pitargue, Jr. and For. Glenn B. Estudillo recently identified the wood species used in the furniture and woodcrafts found inside the historic Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite. The site where Philippine Independence was proclaimed in 1898, the shrine is filled with wooden art pieces that give visitors a glimpse of the country’s rich cultural heritage.
“Many documents have been written about the Aguinaldo Shrine, but none of them lists the particular species used in its many antique wood items” said For. Estudillo. “Our services were tapped by the Office of the Mayor since shrine visitors usually ask about the type of wood used for these pieces and museum staff cannot give accurate answers.”
The seven-storey mansion has 10 rooms and 3 halls and houses 177 pieces of antique furniture. Initial findings revealed that the furniture and woodcrafts were made from 16 wood species such as narra and kamagong. Non-wood species such as tree fern and rattan were also used. Foreign wood species were also identified from presumably imported furniture.
According to For. Estudillo, "Performing wood identification at the Aguinaldo shrine was difficult because most of the furniture are big and bulky. It took us four days to go through all of the items. Some furniture also used more than one wood species so we had to thoroughly examine them."
For. Estudillo concluded, “We are very honored to assist the municipality of Kawit in this project. Not everyone is given the chance to explore every corner of the Aguinaldo Shrine, and more importantly, to examine precious woodcrafts made by Filipino artisans many generations ago. FPRDI will also be identifying the plants and trees surrounding the shrine and performing tree surgery to help preserve the greenery in the vicinity.”
For decades now, FPRDI has been providing wood identification service to its clients. This is made possible thru the Institute’s wood library, an internationally recognized facility housing 16,348 specimens of Philippine and foreign wood samples.
The only one of its kind in the country, FPRDI’s wood identification service is especially useful to players in the construction, furniture and handicraft sectors who need assurance about the identity of their wood materials. # (Maybell Mariella A. Amador, 28 November 2011)
