By Minerva BC Newman
Cebu City — More than 800 loom weavers of raffia and sinamay in Bohol and in Negros Oriental are nurturing and sustaining the almost extinct weaving industry in Central Visayas to produce yarns of raffia and sinamay as Filipino-made products with world-class export quality, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) this weekend.
DTI-7 Regional Director Asteria Caberte said the loom weaving development program specifically in raffia yarn preparation and raffia weaving aims to nurture the flourishing raffia industry and to shift the communities’ focus to a more viable and culturally world-class product from Bohol.
Caberte added the abaca weaving industry in Bacong on the other hand is well-supported by the DTI and other local agencies such as the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA)to strengthen the Abaca loom weaving industry and promote employment generation.
Recently, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas joined the DTI, DOT, FIDA and the local government units to financially support the various loom weavers’ associations in the region through its DSWD-Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) funds.