Legarda: Livelihoods at stake in revitalizing Phl weaving industry

Revitalizing the local textile industry goes beyond fashion and aesthetics, officials emphasized, as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) inaugurated the Philippine Handloom Weaving Center last week.

- By EJ MACABABBAD

Sen. Loren Legarda lamented during her remarks that her bill promoting the industry's development has not received enough attention.

"Not everyone really understands," Legarda said. "They might think it's a fashion thing, which definitely it is not."

"I keep on saying it goes beyond everyday wear; it's the livelihood of the farmers," she added.

Senate Bill 241, or the Philippine Handloom Weaving Industry Development Act of 2022, was filed in the early days of the 19th Congress, only to languish in the committee level since then. Legarda said she plans to refile it in the new Congress.

The bill aims to establish the National Handloom Weaving Council to maximize the economic benefits of weaving, with a representative from the DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) serving as chair.

A similar measure was filed in the House in 2023 by former Abra representative Ching Bernos.

Exports of apparel and clothing accessories declined by 6.1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, generating $662 million in income and ranking 17th among commodity groups.