To promote the welfare of the country’s textile communities, the synergy in the local textile industry should be strengthened.

This was stressed by Deputy Speaker and Antique Lone District Rep. Loren Legarda during the turnover today of the cotton processing center in the municipality of Patnongon in her home province.
“Support has to be sustained at the grassroots. From production up to supply, we have to make sure that the needs of our local weaving communities are met,” Legarda said in a statement.
She said the government should exhaust all means to ensure stable income for the textile communities, especially during this time of pandemic.
Through Legarda’s initiative, the setting up of the cotton processing center was funded under the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) under the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFiDA).
Two other cotton processing centers, located in Pinili, Ilocos Norte, and Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur also got Legarda’s support.
Apart from the cotton processing centers, the weaving and processing centers in other areas in the country— in Kiangan, Ifugao; Tibiao, Pandan and Bugasong, Antique; Lake Sebu, South Cotabato; Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur; Miag-ao, Iloilo and Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental also gained Legarda’s financial backing.
Legarda also disclosed that the pineapple farm and extraction facilities in Balete, Aklan are also set to be turned over this week.
“Behind every textile is a great synergy of a weaver’s mind, heart and soul unleashed through its loom. Behind every cloth spun from threads of various origin and colors is a story of a weaver’s relationship with the loom. It is the weaver’s passion and life that we should acknowledge and protect, and we can do this by making sure that they are well-supported,” Legarda said.
During her stint as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Legarda pushed funding for cotton production under the 2016 and 2017 GAA, prodding the establishment of cotton farms in Pinili, Ilocos Norte; San Fabian, Pangasinan; Iloilo (Miag-ao, Tigbauan, Alimodan), Patnongon, Antique; Bayawan, Negros Occidental; Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur; and Alabel, South Cotabato.