A small community of Yakan weavers — refugees from Basilan island who settled in the western outskirts of Zamboanga in the 1970s — keep the highly geometric, intensely coloured weaving tradition alive on small backstrap looms. The Yakan textiles are some of the most distinctive woven fabrics in the Philippines: dense diamond and chevron patterns in red, black, yellow, and electric pink, used traditionally for ceremonial dress.
You can watch the weavers at work and buy directly from them at the village shop in Upper Calarian — sashes, table runners, and full lengths of cloth. Prices are fair and well below what you would pay in Manila. The village is about 8 km from downtown; tricycles make the trip cheap.