Tags: Furniture
By KC Santos
PASIG CITY, METRO MANILA – Ten years ago, a man visited Arnulfo Milambing’s factory in Pasig and sold to the entrepreneur a large and ancient molave log.
Curious, Arnulfo decided to trace the origin of what might be a remnant of a centuries-old shipwreck.
In 2004, a shipwreck believed to be from the 12th century was discovered in the muddy seabed of the waters fronting the town of Unisan in Quezon.
Residents believe that the town, then called Calilayan, was established in 1521 making Unisan the oldest town in the Philippines.
A native of Quezon himself, Arnulfo had reason to believe that the same log transported to him could possibly be part of a ship used during the Galleon Trade between the Chinese and the early settlers of Unisan in the 18th century.
After noticing that some of these logs were utilized but not preserved in his hometown, the marine engineer decided he was going to convert the logs into furniture.
In 2002, he started selling a few pieces of re-worked molave logs under his manufacturing company, Contemporaneo Inc.
With a few cuts here and there, Arnulfo is able to transform the logs into a wine rack, a table top, a lamp or a simple accent piece.
“Some collectors think that these kinds of products induce a sense of exclusivity but they’re missing the point. I cannot do another similar piece since these logs are badly deformed and I form something out of that deformity,” he says.
He adds that no two deformed log look the same and the natural designs are made by the elements that the logs have been exposed to.
One would notice that some of the molave log furniture Arnulfo made came from either the hull or the bow of the ship.
These tend to be a little on the pricey side but Arnulfo says the furniture can last up to more than 10 years, if maintained regularly. From P10,000, the molave furniture can go as high up as few thousand pesos more.
Arnulfo hopes that these types of products would solicit support for local manufacturers like him. “I hope that the innovativeness that we show would boost the local furniture industry and manufacturers,” he says.
Get more information about Contemporaneo Inc
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