A high-value added market awaits local natural fibers.
“It’s a captive market,” Dr. Julius Leano Jr., director of the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), said yesterday.
The PTRI celebrates Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month this January.
Philippine tropical fabrics consist of natural and tropical textile fibers produced, spun, woven, knitted and finished in the Philippines.
The Philippine Tropical Fabrics (PTF) Law requires the use of PTF for uniforms of public officials and employees to support local textile products.
The PTF law covers government-owned or -controlled corporations, local governments, state and local universities and colleges. Firefighters, athletes, police officers and military personnel with specific uniform needs and requiring special gear like bulletproof vests are exempt.
Using just one example, the one-day requirement of 1.8 million government employees is about 5.4 million meters of natural tropical fabric.
“It’s a badge of honor, using our local fibers,” Leano said, adding it is like adobo for Filipino cuisine. “We use not just the fruits, also the leaves. What if water hyacinth that clogs out waterways is used for textile?”
The PTRI’s Camouflage, Optical, Mechanical, Ballistic, Armored Textile research and development is already looking at local substitutes for the battle dress uniform of the Armed Forces of the Philippines using abaca, bandala and bamboo fibers blended with Philippine cotton.
The development of bamboo textile fibers also provides a robust source of additional option for natural textile fiber. Bamboo yields almost 35 percent of textile fiber over those from the fiber yield of banana, abaca or pineapple.
There are several challenges, including the limited availability of PTF, the non-availability of local spinning technology, and a shortage of suppliers meeting the required standards for PTF.
The PTF Technical Committee spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission reviewed the law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
The revised IRR was a collaborative effort of PTRI, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) and the private sector.
Acknowledging the still limited supply, the amended IRR has a new weight requirement for natural textile fibers from at least 5 percent by weight for fibers like abaca, banana and pineapple and 15 percent by weight for silk to a minimum of 5 percent for both.
PTF must now be sourced from accredited local suppliers or direct manufacturers/traders certified by the DTI and operating locally. These sources should also have a permit to transport fibers issued by PhilFIDA.
The tropical fibers should be tested and certified as compliant with the law before they can be used as government office uniforms. The PTRI textile testing laboratory can identify and quantify natural textile fibers like abaca, banana, pineapple and silk present in tropical fibers and yarns.
