RARE ART OF FILIPINO PAPER CUTTING BORLAS DE PASTILLAS

Pabalat is a kind of painting that is a kind of art that has been lost in our province. It is a cover for pastillas. There's something romantic about the finite nature of life. And perhaps no other art depicts it better than pieces that were created to be eventually destroyed. In the Philippines, we have Bulacan's food art of pabalat or burlas de pastillas. Pabalat or the art of paper cutting entails a tedious process of making precise cuts from fragile Japanese paper. The finished piece is then used as a wrapper for pastillas de leche, a traditional sweet delicacy made from fresh carabao's milk and sugar. In the Philippines, Pabalat's foremost artist used to be Nanay Luz Ocampo, who practiced the art until her death. Since passing on, her daughter Nati Ocampo Castro has become one of the last keepers of this dying tradition. Pabalat or the art of paper cutting entails a tedious process of making precise cuts from fragile Japanese paper. The finished piece is then used as a wrapper for pastillas de leche, a traditional sweet delicacy made from fresh carabao's milk and sugar. The finished piece is then used as a wrapper for pastillas de leche, a traditional sweet delicacy made from fresh carabao's milk and sugar. Pabalat or the art of paper cutting entails a tedious process of making precise cuts a traditional sweet delicacy made from fresh carabao's milk and sugar. Pabalat or the art of paper cutting entails a tedious process of making precise cuts a traditional sweet delicacy made from fresh carabao's milk and sugar. Pabalat or the art of paper cutting entails a tedious process of making precise cuts It's a challenge to do it manually, you can't do it by machine. Until I finished college, the one who taught me how to do it was the one who taught me how to do it. Until I got a job, I had a child. When I gave birth to my child, I told him, Mommy, just leave it to me and Grandpa. He said, okay. While the two adults were studying, he was watching over the school. He brought a chisel, he was chiseling while waiting for the school. Someone saw him, he said, Oh, there's someone else doing that. He said, Can I do it? He said, yes. Then he was invited to Rustan's to do a demo or to have an exhibit. Because in Bulacan, they have an event about Bulacan. Mommy was invited. It went on and on until Mommy was able to make her name. Her name became famous in Pabalat. Mommy was 88 years old. I was bored in the office. I asked myself, Who will make Pabalat when Mommy is gone? Because we can't control the time, right? So I thought, Why don't I study? I said, I will retire. After 23 years in the office, because it was a new challenge for me. He said, What will you do when you retire? He said, I will do what my mother does. I said, What does your mother do? Pabalat of pastillas. He said, Yes, I know that. He said, I attended a workshop. He said, That's your mother. I studied. I said, Mommy, let me try to cut. At first, I was rejected. It was ugly. He said, Mommy really does that. He said, That's not allowed. You need to put curves. It's art. I really studied her. I really made her patient. This is what Pabalat needs. A lot of patience and patience. But I am enjoying it. When Nattie was still learning about Pabalat, her mother, Nanay Luz, was a tough mentor, criticizing her work and pushing her to the brink to improve. Her baptism of fire finally came when she received a thousand orders of Pabalat for Spain's Queen Sofia's visit to the Philippines. With the help of just one person, Nattie accomplished the order in two straight weeks. Since then, orders have kept coming from prominent people and corporations. Pabalat could arguably be the most beautiful candy wrapper in the whole world, and it definitely puts pressure in the milk candy inside to be just as good. Pastillas de leche can be traced back to the Spanish occupation, when the practice of missionaries making their own cheese from cow's milk possibly inspired locals to milk water buffaloes. There are many iterations of pastillas, depending on where it's made, but its original version may have come from San Miguel Bulacan. Among those who make them traditionally in the town of San Miguel is Sweet Bulacana's Food, owned by Lani Buencamino, a public school teacher. Painstakingly, Pastillas takes two hours of consistent stirring to make. They use 500 to 1,000 liters of water buffalo's milk for their pastillas and other dairy products. Here in San Miguel, we mostly use traditional ways of cooking for our pastillas. We don't mix anything to make the cooking process faster. We really go through the right process. That's why our customers look for pastillas from San Miguel. Special pastillas from Sweet Bulacana Foods. Perfect pastillas de leche. I said, I don't want to. I said, I don't want to lose my mother. Ate Mila said, she saw my mother, she said, Mom, I'm going to give up. I said, okay, if you're having a hard time. I had a second emotion. I said, Mom, if you're having a hard time, I'm okay. Less than five minutes, my daughter said, Dad, Dad, look at grandma, why is she not breathing? I said, she's not breathing anymore. Even if she doesn't show it to me, it makes me happy because she's not dead yet. She wants to continue the art of making pastillas. When I built a small office, my mother's picture was there. That's why I cut it. She was there. She guided me. I spread it. It makes me happy because it's not just a few people who teach. If my mother were alive today, it would make me happy because I'm also making my name on that ring. I'm making her name on that ring.