Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda has always believed in the potential of our culture, our rituals, and our textile industry, and how certain practices, when given ample support, can transform the livelihood of these communities.
Having served as chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, she has made sure that government agencies that support our textile industry are given an arsenal of means to support our weaving communities.
Legarda’s vision to have a permanent textile gallery in the country was inspired by her trips to weaving communities in neighboring countries like Vietnam and Laos. These visits eventually prompted her to partner with the National Museum of the Philippines. Through perseverance, the “Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles” was launched in 2012 as the first permanent textile gallery in the country. It houses the National Museum of the Philippines’s extensive textile collection, which features the Abel Iloko from Vigan; Tingguian blanket from Abra; Ga’dang garments from Ifugao; the oldest banton cloth from Romblon; and Maranao garments from Southern Mindanao, to name a few.
She authored Republic Act No. 9242 or the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law, which promotes the country’s natural fabrics through the use of such materials for official uniforms of government officials and employees.
She was also principal sponsor and co-author of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Law. This has led her to establish weaving and cotton processing centers, as well as cotton farms, nationwide. “One is able to empower these small communities for as long as we give them due importance,” Legarda said.
Legarda’s home province of Antique, where she currently serves as congresswoman, has also gained from her support. The Bagtason Loomweavers Association in Bugasong now has its own weaving center.
Even piña weaving in Tibiao, Antique, which started around 2005 but stopped due to lack of demand, was revived through Legarda’s assistance, bringing to life an industry that would otherwise have been considered gone.
