MANILA -- The Civil Service Commission (CSC) on Thursday enjoined all government agencies to use Philippine Tropical Fabrics (PTF) for employee uniforms as a way to instill patriotism and nationalism among public officials and employees.
“We encourage all government agencies to promote the use of local fabrics and textiles by using them as base materials in the uniforms of officials and employees. This is in compliance with Republic Act No. 9242,” said CSC Chairperson Karlo Nograles in a news release.
Under Section 3 of RA No. 9242, entitled "An Act Prescribing the Use of Philippine Tropical Fabrics for Uniforms of Public Officials and Employees and for Other Purposes", the use of PTF is prescribed for official uniforms of government officials and employees, and for other purposes that require the use of fabrics in government offices and functions.
PTF contains natural textile fibers from pineapple leaf, abaca, banana, and Philippine silk, which are produced, spun, woven, or knitted, and finished in the Philippines.
RA 9242, or the PTF Law, states that fabrics to be used must contain at least 5 percent by weight of either abaca leaf sheath, banana pseudostem, and pineapple leaf, or 15 percent by weight of silk.
For the continued implementation of RA 9242, the CSC convened the PTF Technical Working Group (PTF TWG) which includes the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (DA-PhilFIDA), and conducted a series of meetings in the last three years to review the existing Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) and draft a proposed Amended IRR.
The PTF TWG came up with the proposed Amended IRR, which was presented to the stakeholders in the private sector representing various organizations in the PTF Industry last year. Inputs from the private sector were solicited and discussed during the stakeholders’ consultation. The CSC is now finalizing the Amended IRR based on the agreements and will be up for approval and promulgation.
The CSC said all activities including roll-out of the amended IRR to government agencies are targeted to happen within the first semester of 2023, and implementation is expected to be in full swing by the second half of the year.
“With the issuance of the Amended IRR of the PTF Law, we hope that we have made strides toward fulfillment of the intent of the law to instill patriotism and nationalism among the people, especially public officials and employees, through the use of the PTF for office uniforms. In promoting preferential use of locally produced goods and resources, we will help uplift and make competitive anew the local fiber and textile industries in the country,” Nograles said.
Nograles also expressed his gratitude to Senator Loren Legarda, the principal author of the PTF Law, for her continuing advocacy and support by promoting and patronizing locally made textiles, especially the PTF here and abroad.
Partnership with DOST-PTRI
Meanwhile, the CSC has renewed its partnership with DOST-PTRI for the production of CSC employee uniforms during the Philippine Textile Industry Stakeholders’ Conference held last Jan. 26 in Makati City.
Under a Memorandum of Agreement, CSC and DOST-PTRI shall continue to collaborate on the implementation of the latter’s project entitled “Design and Production of Primary Group of Government Agencies Uniforms to Boost the Mainstream Market of the Philippine Tropical Fabrics (PTF) in the Country through the Inclusive Business Approach.”
The said project aims to promote and boost mainstreaming of the PTF as base material for the uniforms of government agencies. The two agencies will work together to develop one set of uniform design and prototype for the CSC workforce with a target date of completion set on June 2023. (PNA)
