A bill has been filed in the House of Representatives proposing “to nurture” the textile culture and heritage in the Philippines by promoting and supporting the local handloom weaving industry.
House Bill 8478 or the proposed Philippine Handloom Weaving Industry Development Act, authored by Abra Rep. Ching Bernos, at the same time, expressed gratitude to his fellow legislators, particularly the members of the Committee on North Luzon Growth Quadrangle, for supporting the bill.
“I am deeply thankful to my colleagues in the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle, to my kakailyans, for their support to the handloom weaving industry,” Bernos said.
“Their support means a lot to all women who rely on this industry as their main source of income that puts food on the table,” Bernos added.
The legislators said “Northern Luzon is home to many weaving communities that export their finished products to international markets and local designers. I know they understand the importance of such measure.”
Bernos, in HB 8478, seeks to develop the industry by creating an inter-agency council that will formulate an industry development policy that will provide technical support, formulate national standards and intellectual property framework, and create education and training programs for the handloom weaving sector.
Citing a report by the British Council, Bernos stated that the weaving industry plays a vital role in rural employment and contributes to local economic development by promoting community-based enterprises and sustainable tourism.
“We aim to address many issues like access to quality raw materials, limited market demand, and technical and financial assistance, to which we hope will be solved so that the industry and the people behind it will continue to thrive,” Bernos said.
A handloom-woven fabric refers to a textile woven using a handloom, a device that holds the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads.