By Estrella Z. Gallardo
January 24 is the Philippine Tropical Fibrous (PTF) Day set by Malacanan under Proclamation on December 21, 2010, to push for the implementation of Republic Act 9242 or the Philippine Tropical Fibrous Law of 2004.
Under this Act, local fabrics from banana, abaca, Philippine silk and other national fibers will be the focus of the Philippine Tropical Fabrics (PTF) Day on January 24 at Malacanan.
Tropical textile technologies are being developed by the Philippine Textile Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (PTRI-DOST) to instill awareness on the development of tropical fabrics for uniforms and garment industries.
What we lack are the investors to commercially produce the PTF, explains Dr. Carlos C. Tomboc, Director of the Philippine Textile Research Institute of the DOST, the lead agency in the observance of the PTF Day.
To highlight the celebration, PTFR will hold the Fashionation 2011, a fashion show at the Makati Shangrila on January 25 organized by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions and supported by the Department of Agriculture’s Fiber Industry Development Authority and the Civil Service Commission.
The show will feature PTF and other locally manufactured fabrics as office uniforms, government officials, business corporations and representatives from the textiles and garments industries to witness the show.
PTRI-DOST is urging key players in the textile and garment industries to promote entities to invest in the fiber pre-treatment and other textile-related technologies the agency has developed.
A basket of textile technology options has been designed and made available to help revive the local textile and garment industries and create livelihood in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
The agency also encourages the public to patronize PTF for home textile, office uniforms, formal wear, chic ensembles on catwalks, among other uses.-30-
