We need not go far in our search for the famous higantes of Angono. They were right there along the highway, all lined up and raring to fiesta.

The Higantes Festival dates back to the 1800s when the people of Angono created these giant effigies meant as caricatures in protest of tyrannical Spanish landlords (Angono was a Spanish hacienda during those times).

The art of higante-making has become an age-old tradition in Angono. In fact, the artists have formed a collective called HIMAS (or Higante Makers Sculptors Society), or literally meaning “to caress”, in reference to how they use their hands when creating these huge paper maches.

My colleague Izah Morales and I went to the “Art Camp” where we found Charlie Anorico, a pony-tailed 57-year old sculptor, who gave us a glimpse of how these higantes are made.

In the old days, artists use bamboo and rattan (a local fiber material) in creating the framework for the body and the head. Today, artists use chicken wire and sometimes stainless steel because it’s a lot more durable and easier to handle when parading these higantes during the town fiesta.

Layers upon layer of newspaper strips are then slapped around creating a paper mache, which then become a canvas for the artists’ creativity. Some artists use resin (or plaster of Paris) instead of paper because it holds better and more resistant to water – in case, it rains during the parade.

So how tall are Angono’s higantes? Only about a few feet taller than me, actually. Most of them are about 6 to 8 feet in height. Each higante is carried by one person during the parade but Charlie said they could not go beyond 10 feet because in the past, people would halt the parade because a higante would get entangled with public structures such as electric posts.

Usually, during the festival, each barangay in Angono will parade their own higante. Over the years, the festival has attracted corporate sponsors, partly funding the making of these higantes. The more elaborate ones and with mechanical moving parts – meaning, more entertaining – can cost up to P25,000, according to Charlie.

Angono is renowned for producing some of the country’s national artists, most famous of them muralist Carlos “Botong” Francisco and musician Lucio San Pedro. Until now, it is home to the country’s finest artists.

Everywhere you walk in Angono, you are bound to see artists like Charlie (most of them long-haired as well) and various artworks on public display. The higantes symbolize the artistry of Angono’s sons and daughters. But these provide only a window and one needs to enter the heart of this quiet city to truly see and appreciate its art.