DOST pushes research into indigenous fabrics

President Aquino has declared January Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month. This was made official with the signing of Proclamation No. 313 on January 12 by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr.

 

The aim of Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month is to promote the use of local fabrics and textiles, and to sustain the gains made since January 24, 2011, which had been designated the first Philippine Tropical Fabrics Day through Proclamation No. 86 (s. 2010). 

 

Tropical fabrics are defined in the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law of 2004 (RA No. 9242) as those containing natural fibers produced, spun, woven or knitted and finished in the Philippines.  The office uniforms of government officials and employees are made from these natural fabrics.

 

The proclamation also directed the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to defray the costs of celebrating Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month from now on, and to “ensure that extensive research on the judicious utilization of local natural fibers shall be continued and that meaningful activities to properly celebrate the ‘Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month’ shall be undertaken toward a sustained development of the local textile industry.”

 

In November 2011, the Research and Development division of DOST-PTRI was awarded the PAGASA Award by the Philippine Civil Service Commission for its active development of indigenous tropical fibers such as pineapple, abaca, banana and Philippine silk to help the local textile industry. The team will continue to focus on the application of advanced processing technologies on these fibers—such as blending them with other materials—to create a new generation of fabrics. Among the team’s achievements was the development of technologies that improve the rate of production and overall quality of finished textiles. 

 

For 2012, PTRI is working on developing garment prototypes from water hyacinth, jute and maguey sources.

 

Fabric producers, textile manufacturers, the private sector, associations and the academe are also urged to promote the use of local textiles and to partner with the government to help bring about “an evolution of the Philippine textile industry as an emerging leader in the global textile market.” — TJD, GMA News