Iloilo Philippines

The hammer and chisel have started to make music again.

This morning, as the Miagao jeepney I took slowed down near Oton plaza hoping to pick up more passengers, I noticed a familiar sound–a pleasant kind of hammering. Ah, lapida makers. The season has arrived.

I’m talking about this little recognized business of lapida-making.  A  piece of lapida is a thin slab of marble incised with the name, date of birth and death of a person. Modern day grave marker.  When the “ber” season arrives, the lapida makers are probably one of the happiest for customers will start coming in to have a marker made for their deceased, probably to replace an old or broken one or to have the lapida where there was none.

Several lapida makers are concentrated along E. Lopez Street in Jaro, Iloilo. I remember that one of them has even been featured in a t.v. drama. Was it Maalaala mo Kaya?

Anyway, that will be all for now. Still need some more sleuthing to do.

Oct 27, 2007

I’m back.  Two days ago, while walking along E.Lopez St. towards Colegio de San Jose, I saw the lapida makers and remembered the sleuthing I had to do.  I approached two shops and here’s what I found.

The standard lapida of marble, size 16 X 20 inches costs P500.  You can choose from a variety of designs and fonts.  There’s the typical cross with a flower.  Of course, the RIP is ever present.

The bigger sized lapida is between P900-P1300.  The smaller than 16X20 is P400.

The special kind, on the other hand, is made of black granite.  It looks shiny and slee.  The granite lapida costs P3,500.  One lapida maker, Nong Arthur Salvador says,  incising on granite is more difficult to do, thus the higher price.

Actually, there are more than six shops lining E.Lopez but I was only able to visit two.  Hopefully, I can check out the others and write down their names here as well.

1.  SALVADOR MARBLE WORKS

     31 E.Lopez St., Jaro, Iloilo

    Arthur Salvador

    Cell No.  09272337314

2.  CE MARBLE WORKS

      E. Lopez St., Jaro, Iloilo City

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