Government employees’ uniform law boosts RP fiber industry

The Philippine tropical fabric (PTF) industry is headed for much better times.

The big plus factor that will trigger the rapid development of the industry soonest is Republic Act 9242, also known as "an Act Prescribing the Use of Philippine Tropical Fabrics for Uniforms of Public Officials and Employees and for Other Purposes."

The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of RA 9242 has been signed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Civil Service Commission (CSC).

A number of government offices, particularly agencies of DOST, have begun wearing uniforms made partly of PTF, said Dr. Carlos Tomboc, director of the DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI).

Philippine tropical fabrics includes those containing fibers from plants and animals grown, spun, and woven in the country. It includes fibers of abaca, pineapple, and banana, which have been proven to be good materials in making tropical fabrics.

The fibers of the by-products of these food and cash crops can be extracted, degummed, spun, and woven as inputs to the textile industry to create indigenous fabrics.

Under RA 9242, all fabrics to be used for uniforms and for other purposes (e.g., line, drapery, upholstery) shall contain at least five percent by weight of either abaca, pineapple, or banana fibers, and 15 percent silk by weight.

Firemen’s uniform, sports uniform, bulletproof vests, and others may be exempted from the law’s provisions if the tropical fabrics’ properties and standards do not meet the requirements of such uniforms.

The law provides that DOST-PTRI is responsible for tests on fabric composition and on whether the fabric meets the minimum standard and shall issue certification or exemption.

Over the years, PTRI has generated technologies for the conversion of raw fibers from abaca, banana, and piña into spinnable mass using chemical and mechanical processes that cater to the technical requirements for the production of garments and house linens.

It has been projected that since Philippine tropical fabric uses fibers from waste products from pineapple, banana, and abaca plantations, at least 45,655 direct employment opportunities would be generated in the industrial and agricultural sectors in its production.

On the other hand, there are at present about 1.5 million civil servants in the country, who provide the much-needed demand that can stimulate investments and activity in the textile industry.

Statistics also show that about half a million hectares of agricultural lands in nine provinces (Isabela, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, Camarines Norte, Leyte, Iloilo, South Cotabato, and Bukidnon) are devoted to the three food cash crops.

Ordinarily, after the fruits of pineapple and banana are harvested, their by-products are thrown away.