It’s always a delight to see fellow Filipinos wearing exquisitely designed barong Tagalog or terno whether during historic events or on ordinary days. The impressive array of traditional attire or costumes woven from homegrown textiles and unique to the various ethnic or tribal groups in the archipelago, showcases the wealth and uniqueness of our artistry and culture which we are proud to project to the world as part of our identity as a nation.

What is heartwarming is that there are conscious efforts by the government and the private sector to encourage the cultivation of fiber crops and promote the use and sale of textiles from tropical fibers. The purpose is not merely to preserve and enrich the craftsmanship for making these native fabrics, specially the hand-weaving and sewing of these materials and clothing but also to provide the people in the countryside with a steady means of livelihood.

In fact, the Philippine Textile Research Institute, an agency of the Trade Department, is already implementing research and development programs in natural fabrics, dyes and silk products to blend with indigenous fabrics such as abaca, pineapple and silk, Senator Loren Legarda says. Legarda, chairman of the committee on agriculture and food, stresses the need to lure foreign investments and linkages in the local fiber industry, establish a reliable supply of materials and adopt modern technology and machinery to improve production. 

Another woman, lawyer Romela Bengzon, the government’s Honorary Investment and Trade Representative to the European Union, is pursuing her own advocacy to give the natural fiber industry the much-needed shot in the arm. Bengzon, who gained national prominence as a member  of the 50-man Constitutional Commission of 2005, cites the high export potentials of native fabrics such as the bark cloth from the Ifugao province, piña textiles from Panay island, and abaca from the Bicol region.

Aside from clothing material, abaca is extensively used for handicrafts, fashion products, decorative home items and industrial cordage. Specialty paper used for the yen currency, food grade applications for coffee and tea bags is also derived from abaca.

Bengzon says she is particularly interested in how the Philippine tropical fabrics can penetrate the haute couture market in the West.  Over $22 billon are spent each year on ready-to-wear items in the United States alone.  Over five billion euros were spent in Germany last year by 14 to 19 year olds on fashion and beauty items.

An international corporate lawyer and law professor, Bengzon says the natural fabrics industry, with the help of the government, should zero in on the mass production and marketing of a more practical version of the barong for the European and American market. She says this is the best time to embark on such business venture and ride on the surging trend in “green” fabrics and green lifestyles.

The current market demands are growing for less synthetic fibers and more reproductive resources, she observes. “Going green no longer means wearing burlap sacks and Birkenstocks, what sets eco-fashion apart from conveniently manufactured garments are the environmental, ethical and social considerations woven into the design of each piece.”

From consultations with stakeholders in the natural fabrics industry, Legarda came to know about the gap between the buyers and the producers and the need to bring these two players together.  She says the loom-weavers and artists who labor on crafting our tropical fabrics such as barong Tagalog and Philippine terno are stymied by the lack of capital and equipment.

Most of them are in the rural areas with limited financial means for acquiring looms that will help them meet the demand of their customers. They are relying on government financial institutions like the Development Bank of the Philippines and Philippine Micro-Finance Corp. to extend them credit at a reasonable interest rate.

The industry is also saddled with the inability to achieve a critical mass in the production of raw materials. The situation calls for the Agriculture Department to undertake measures to strengthen the market for fiber crops so that the hectarage devoted to their cultivation can be expanded.

Legarda laments that handloom weaving, which could provide jobs to women, is a dying craft and something should be done about it.  She mentions some of the popular tropical fabrics that are produced in the country such as inabel or binakol in the Ilocos Region, abel in the Cordilleras, gadang in the Mountain Province, abaca in the Bicol Region, abaca with piña and silk in Labor, Camarines Sur, t’nalak in the Davao provinces, yakan woven products in Zamboanga, piña cloth and patadyong in Antique and banana silk and pineapple woven materials in Aklan.

  These different fabrics have distinct designs, styles and color that have evolved with time and been handed down from generation to generation.  And it is important to maintain these designs and not allow the tradition to become extinct.

  The native textiles industry got a much-needed boost when Congress in 2004 approved the Tropical Fabrics Law, authored by Legarda and sponsored by Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. The law prescribes the use of tropical fabrics purchased from local sources for the uniforms of public officials and employees.   Unfortunately, this law has yet to be fully implemented due to lack of funds, lack political will, lack of vision and simply lack of compliance on the part of government executives concerned. Imagine if all 1.2-million civil servants in the national government will wear uniforms using the natural fibers, that would go a long way in providing livelihood to farmers and handloom weavers.

  Legarda says other member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should be encouraged to adopt a similar law, if they have not yet done so. Indeed, this would help realize the objectives of the law and ensure a wider market for tropical fabrics.

The environmentalist senator, by the way, was one of the speakers at the Second Asean Textiles Symposium held in Manila early this month which coincided with the observance of the International Year of the Tropical Fiber as mandated by the United Nations.