Kuya Dhong is smoothing off the bamboo
banister with his chosen tool, a large knife - every guy on Palawan has an Itak or Bolow a machete or large knife tool like in the photo.
Whenever we
go into jungle overgrown areas we always take a machete for clearing a path, or
if must, protection from snakes. An Itak has
an endless amount of uses, not just hacking a path and chopping firewood... in
skilled hands such as Kuya Dhong's, amazing results can be achieved with wood and bamboo for a
wide range of jobs.
Often they will chose to use this over other tools doing it in a more traditional way but with beautiful results. Machetes are a must-have tool and a favourite of all guys living in the Palawan countryside.
I had one
made for myself, it’s longer than the average Itak, but that’s because my arms
are longer than most Filipinos and its been made for my size.