TO actively promote traditional clothing and the Filipino heritage, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday urged government officials and public servants to lead in wearing Filipiniana-inspired attire as an example to their constituents.
“As a public servant, I do like wearing Filipiniana and I think it is one of our duties to promote and preserve our local traditions,” Belmonte said.
Her iconic Filipiniana-inspired attire has become a mainstay during her official functions, speaking engagements, and even barangay visits.
According to Belmonte, she is wearing her own line of ready-to-wear Filipiniana clothing from a brand called Linea Etnika, which she manages with business partner Looie Lobregat, daughter of Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat.
“People don’t know that we conceived this social enterprise while seated next to each other on a bus during a Lakbay Aral a few years ago as a way to incorporate Filipiniana motifs, particularly handwoven Yakan weaves, into modern clothing,” she said.