House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, known for her advocacies to promote Philippine culture worldwide, has called for the sustenance and preservation of piña and piña seda (pineapple fiber) weaving traditions and productions through responsive legislation.

Legarda made this pitch during her remarks at the online panel discussion entitled "Habi: Weaving Philippine Textiles' Future" held on July 14, 2021. The program was co-hosted by Humboldt University (HU), one of the largest universities in Europe, in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Berlin.

In the event, Legarda shared the efforts by the Philippine legislature and other institutions in the promotion and preservation of Philippine weaves and weaving culture, illustrating among others the urgent need to preserve and sustain the piña weaving industry.

The veteran legislator who traces her roots in the Panay region, one of the major producers of pineapple fibers in the country, also spoke of the need for convergence in the effective implementation of sustainable programs by all stakeholders in the entire weaving process.

She emphasized that it takes an entire community of advocates and practitioners to realize this and in the process “engender cultural preservation and identity, promote sustainable practices, institutionalize fair trade practices, provide livelihood, and cultivate Filipino artistry.”

Legarda showed photos of century-old Philippine artifacts, including piña items and Philippine weaves donated by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal and now housed at the Berlin Ethnological Museum.

More than 140 participants from the Philippines and Germany attended the virtual forum that focused mainly on the textile weaving culture in the Philippines.

Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores of the University of the Philippines-Baguio and the Museo Kordilyera shared with the audience how cultural revival of weaving and production of textiles is taking place in the Cordillera Region of the Philippines through the Cordillera Textiles Project or CordiTex, a multi-disciplinary research approach in analyzing textile production and how this tradition can be made sustainable in contemporary times.

She said it is the goal of advocacy projects like CordiTex, which brings together cultural studies and technology, to empower weaving communities and sustain the critical cultural practice of weaving.

Others who were present at the discussion were Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-De Vega, German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel, Dr. Vincent Houben of Humboldt University’s Institute for Asian and African Studies, and Dr. Rosa Cordillera Castillo of Humboldt University and Program Director for the Advancing Philippine Studies Program who served as session moderator.