Optimism Seen in the Future of Philippine Fabric and Weaving

Dropped by the talk about Philippine fabrics yesterday hosted by Humboldt University in Berlin wherein Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda was guest speaker along with Ms. Analyn Salvador-Amores from UP Baguio. It was entitled "Habi: Weaving Philippine Textiles Future" and it was quite a nice discussion on how those who care are strengthening their efforts to keep the weaving culture alive, learn more about regional designs, documenting it, reviving designs from museum archives (yes a long time ago), and perhaps where to see the industry flourish in the next couple of years.

Professor Dr. Vincent Houben from Humboldt University in Berlin says "I'm very happy to have this happen, to put in place this program to advance Philippine studies. The PH and Germany are close and very intertwined. Rizal spent quite some time here and we have lots of information about that. We're thinking in some scales we can focus with the Philippines and see in a context where there is a weaving connection. The Philippine culture needs to be seen in a broader sense. Through the program over the past couple of years, we're grateful that we have a lot who have done their studies about the country, welcome from Europe."

Analyn Salvador Amores the project leader of Cordillera Textiles Project UP Baguio says "Weaving communities in the Cordillera region exist and empower communities. Cordillera region is in North Luzon from the ranges in Apayao to the more central Nueva Vizcaya, an Igorot domain. Through trade, inter-marriage, weaving patterns have similarities in this study. These communities have a long history of weaving, you can see this in the tribal photos from various photos archived in the US, Russia and other countries. Textile are produced through natural fibers, and cotton, manually weaved with sticks passed on from generation to generation. Lowland Ilocanos introduced new ways through export and trade. Fabric was traded for goods, food, poultry and farm products. There is a decline in weaving in the region because of an aging population, decrease in master weavers, lesser interest in generations thereafter. The government has taken steps like endorsing acts for the use of Philippine tropical fabrics for uniforms of public officials, employees and festivals. They also enacted resolutions for research, put up school for living traditions that promote indigenous weaving but met challenges as it has been not sustainable, and has lesser funding access. In the recent years, there is a resurgence in textile weaving including geographical sourced Cordillera textiles identified with certain communities. The CordiTex currently is doing multi disciplinary research and vigorously documenting textiles. Now local weavers get to access records, learn and re-learn weavings as we continue to do anthropological fieldwork in the Cordillera."

Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda concentrated more on the resurgence on the demand for the more intricate production of Piña Seda (silk) fiber and says "We started in the school of oriental studies 5 years ago. There's so much I have to say about Pina Seda Weaving and Embroidery in the Philippines. It is not just done in my province of Aklan, but in different regions in the country. Traditional textiles are ties that bind, it links the past to the present and brings together cultures no matter how diverse it is. It's a synergy between workers and artisans, several hands are needed to make one fabric alone, not to mention the designer and embroidery of which women would hand make it from farm to shop. Since 1998 we have worked to enact this into law to not just protect but help the industry. The pineapple plant is not indigenous to the Philippines but we have made way to produce the red variety of fibers from it. It is laborious to produce it and the influx of imported fabric and fashion trends made it dwindle. With government efforts, provinces have been tapped to produce this including Aklan, the Bicol region, Cavite, Davao, Misamis Oriental, Laguna, Cagayan, Saranggani has been tapped to produce it. Mulberry farms are needed to produce silk in the Philippines, and demand has remained high for it. In a bid to produce more Pineapple fiber, machinery has been provided to farmer cooperatives in plantations so they can increase production  of pineapple fiber. There's a need for convergence of government agencies, so they can continue building capacity, promote domestic trade and do a systemic development in marketing the fabric. All of these are necessary to produce products to respond to immediate needs of the public. The DA should assure steady supply, DTI can help promote these fabrics through trade fairs both locally and abroad. TESDA can also do skills training for weavers and embroiderers and have a nurturing environment for this industry. It is one way of showcasing our traditional textiles in the hopes to further promote it in different markets. It takes support from legislation to make things happen, soon we will have more galleries in different parts of the country. We plan to put up documentation centers, conservation agencies, to help farmers, weavers, local textile manufacturers and establish centers where they can get services in processing. If there's a desire, there's a need, and we need to support them. It will also provide jobs for the countryside, the Philippine Piña Seda is a prized fabric and it is truly world class. I wish to go back in time and tell you that the task before us is to help our people value and continue our heritage, we must open doors of opportunities for weaving communities and promote greater support for our cultural enterprises."

Honestly, it was like a breather to hear them be optimistic about Philippine fabrics and with a good amount of systems in place, plus continuous efforts in policies and funding, the future looks bright for the weaving industry. It's definitely a pillar for the fashion industry and without the raw materials, how can one create? I feel as the economy is slowly going back to normal, this deserves the attention it should get. It's part of culture, and without it, we would cease to exist as Filipinos because it makes us who we are as a nation.

LG Outs Premium Line of Monitors in the PH

In the Philippines, we're still locked in at home and confined in our rooms. Work has resumed but it has changed, and we still can't sacrifice the quality of it no matter where we are in the world. Monitors are in demand now either for office functions, content creation or gaming, which is probably why LG is coming out with their own premium line so you can do that, and more. Your office space is evolving, not just for comfort, but to follow the needs of your work. In an event this evening, they announced a couple models that would fit what you need at home for work, or your gaming pleasure.

LG Philippines Managing Director Sungjae Kim says "We are launching these brand new monitors today to provide and deliver results. With these, you can achieve more in your passion projects, meet the UltraWide Ergo."

Ryan Nulud Head of IT Sales says "The new LG UltraWide Monitor has borderless design, can have a 2 screen split, HD, elevates texture, has sharpness and is pretty good for work."

Joross Gamboa says "Whether I'm editing, recording, playing games, you can see everything because of the screen space. The 5ms response time on this LG UltraWide™ monitor is amazing! I use it for content creation, social media, I watch everything at the same time. Casual gamers and streamers would love this and those who work at home would find this convenient as its got a wider space, 33 percent more than usual wide monitors."

Ace Photographer Magic Liwanag says "These ultra wide monitors particularly the LG UltraFine Display Ergo can help me see details, not just 4K, but the right accurate colors so editing is a breeze. It makes me work easy, see and display things like the real thing. I love the LG UltraFine Display Ergo."

Arianne Francisco adds "The LG UltraGear is NVIDIA G Sync compatible, objects are rendered clearly and you can see the action with its Nano IPS display. You can get faster frames, and better sound quality."

Myrtle Sarroza says "It is seamless, has high resolution even on fast paced games. It has improved my gaming experience, the fast IPS and refresh rate helps, you can improve on your game in no time. It might be a gaming monitor but I can use it for everyday work because I too work at home. I edit my photos and videos in it, all the content I post online has accurate colors because of it. I suggest you to add it to your cart now. The LG UltraGear™ is quite good."

Honestly, I actually need the one that Magic showed on the event. I play Valorant and CODM usually and it pains me to say that I couldn't see it all on the small screen. I need one that is wide, very detailed and something that I can use for work too. Wish it was Christmas already so people know what to give me as a gift LOL! If you want to know more about these monitors, check out the live stream posted on the LG Philippines Facebook page and get to know what you would need for your rig. Visit LG.COM.PH or their official stores on Shopee and Lazada.

A Talk on Philippine Textile Weaving

Looks like the fabric gods in the Philippines will be pleased as a talk on native textile will happen today at 4PM (Manila time) on Zoom. This is hosted by Humboldt University Berlin and Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda will be their guest speaker along with Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores from the University of the Philippines in Baguio. It is entitled "Habi: Weaving Philippine Textiles Future" and will cover mostly what we're internationally known for, the various natural fabrics manufactured here in the country.

If you wish to join the interesting talk, you may register here. You only have a few minutes to do that because it starts at 4PM today.

The Philippines is also the biggest source of Pineapple fabric which is produced in Kalibo, Aklan but we do have other regions who weave and do the same for other natural fibers. This would be an interesting topic especially for the fashion industry who's probably ailing right now because of the pandemic. Go register and see you at the event!

Come Ride the TNT Kilig-Saya Express

After bringing Thai superstars Nonkul Chanon, Gulf Kanawut and Mario Maurer a few months ago, the train never stops as TNT promises even more kilig and saya this month. You see, on July 19, 2021 at 8AM, the Kilig-Saya Express train will finally be running on the LRT 1 line. Together with that, they'll be giving away LRT-1 passengers a one way train pass to the first 500 riding on stations from Baclaran, EDSA, Libertad, Gil Puyat, Vito Cruz, Quirino, Pedro Gil, UN Avenue, Central, Carriedo, Doroteo Jose, Bambang, Tayuman, Blumentritt, Abad Santos, R. Papa, 5th Avenue and Balintawak Stations. To get this, you need to go to the TNT booth on each of these stations, I'm sure that'll be so much fun for commuters to start their Mondays on the right note!

Ms. Miriam Z. Choa the FVP and Head of Prepaid Marketing at Smart says "TNT wants to give the simple joys in life. These are just a few that spaks positivity and happiness that you can enjoy with our products and services. These Kilig-Saya Express free train pass will benefit up to 500 passengers per station on July 19. We want our loyal TNT customers to have memorable experiences, and this is just the start."

TNT with their brand ambassadors Sue Ramirez, Sarah Geronimo, Nonkul Chanon, Gulf Kanawut and Mario Maurer will also be featured on specially designed train units so you can ride the Kilig-Saya Express all day. For the select people who will also post their ticket pass on social media (FB, Twitter and IG) and use the hashtag #TNTKiligSaya, you can get up to 50% discount on your next Double GIGA Video 99 promo. This will be avavilable on the TNT booth, just show the post to the personnel and they'll give you that deal right on the spot.

Get updates on their channels too so make sure you like and follow @TNTph on FB, IG and Twitter because it's all there!