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SEN. Loren
Legarda is urging the Fiber Industry Development Authority
(Fida) to strongly promote Philippine abaca in the
manufacture of the highly popular rope-soled shoes as she
noted that espadrilles have become fashionable again.
“It would
be great if we can take advantage of the revival of
espadrilles to stimulate in a big way the production and
export of Philippine abaca,” she said recently.
Legarda,
who chairs the Senate economic affairs committee, recalled
that espadrilles first became stylish in the ‘80s. She
pointed out that the rope-soled footwear has become trendy
again after
Hollywood celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, started donning
designer espadrilles by Yves Saint Laurent and Donna Karan.
If
necessary, she added, the government could even invite the
former First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Marcos, to help promote
abaca-soled espadrilles. Mrs. Marcos made it to the
Guinness Book of World Records for her vast collection of
shoes, discovered after her husband, the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos, was ousted and forced to go into exile
in Hawaii in the first civilian-backed military uprising
dubbed People Power in 1986.
Legarda
suggested that the government and the private sector
combine forces to build up the local abaca industry, in
order to boost employment, raise household income, and
ease poverty and hunger in the countryside.
Abaca is
cultivated by more than 82,000 farmers in 26 provinces in
Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Mindanao.
Yearly,
they produce some 70,000 metric tons (MT) of fiber, of
which about 25 percent is exported. Abaca is a species of
banana native to the Philippines. The plant is harvested
for its leaves and stems that yield the world’s sturdiest
natural fiber, called Manila hemp.
Abaca
fiber is also used to make twines, ropes, carpets,
furniture, clothing material and handicraft. Abaca pulp is
also processed into tea bags, coffee filter,
vacuum-cleaner bags, currency notes and other specialty
paper. Studies have likewise identified abaca enzymes for
use in high-value cosmetic and dietary products.
The Fida
estimates the annual global demand for abaca fiber at
600,000 MT. Even if all of the country’s current annual
abaca output is exported, this would still cover only a
little over 10 percent of world demand.
Due to
increased demand, the local buying price of abaca fiber
has soared by 50 percent over the last five years, from
P30 to P45 per kilo, according to the Fida.
“We have
to push all possible commercial uses of abaca. Once fully
developed, the industry can be a huge driver of economic
and jobs growth,” the economics committee chairman said.
At the
same time, she stressed the need for improved abaca
farming, as well as fiber-processing technologies that
would raise both efficiency and product quality.
“Abaca
farmers, processors and exporters deserve adequate
financial, technical, marketing assistance, as well as
infrastructure support.” | 
