Lakad Pilipinas

I was initially surprised at the printed icon of Batangas’ Starbucks City Mug. I was thinking they would probably use coffee beans (Kapeng Barako) which Batangas is famed for, or maybe Balisongs (fan knife) which is another uniquely Batangueño product, and then there’s also the Tawilis, a freshwater fish endemic to Taal Lake; but none of my guesses were correct, they instead have Jusi printed on the mug.

I actually had a hard time guessing what the print was; was it a carpet, a tea bag, a trellis in an orchard perhaps? After much research, it turned out to be Jusi, the fabric used in making Barong Tagalogs.

It found later that Batangas, ignorant me, produces one of the finest Barong Tagalog in the country. With the abundance of pineapples in the area, it should have been a no-brainer. For the uninitiated, Barong Tagalog is the Philippines’ national costume. It is worn untucked by men (and sometimes women) during formal occasions. It is made from pineapple, jusi and banana fabric, is lightweight and is almost transparent. The front usually has an opening surrounded by embroidered patterns.

There are three lesser variations of the Barong Tagalog. The Polo Barongs, a short-sleeved version which is the least formal of the three; The Gusot Mayaman or Linen Barongs, which are usually used as office attires; and the Shirt-Jack Barongs, which are cut shirt-jack style and is usually used as a casual apparel.

In Batangas, Jusi fabric is produced by the Municipality of Taal.

The back part of the mug is printed with Batangas’ coastlines which are a popular beach and diving destination. There’s Anilao in Mabini, Matabungkay in Lian, Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Calatagan and Laiya in San Juan.

I also noticed that the beaches are lined with coconut trees. While this may be normally what you’d see in coastal areas, this has a further significance in Batangas since Batangueños are known to produce local liquors such as Lambanog and Tuba from coconuts.

Some information sourced from: Wikipedia 

Starbucks Coffe Lipa
Ayala Highway (in front of the bus stations)
Lipa City, Batangas