PTRI partners shine in the 8th Aklan Piña and Fiber Festival
Press Release
May, 2007

The 8th Piña and Fiber Festival in Aklan is an annual activity held during the celebration of the province's founding anniversary. The event focused on showcasing Aklan-based handloom woven products made from piña, abaca and raffia, various handicrafts, housewares, and furniture made from the province's abundant native fibers. Naturally dyed piña, piña-seda and abaca fabrics shimmered among the wares displayed especially in the booths of the DelaCruz House of Piña and La Herminia Piña Weaving Industry.

The booth of La Herminia Piña Weaving Industry won the Best Booth Award and the Best Handloom Woven Fabric for their shawl dyed in a radiant orange tint achieved through the use of the loco roots. The extraction of this dye is a natural dye technology developed and transferred by the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) of the Department of Science and Technology.

In the spotlight at the booth of the Dela Cruz House of Piña, were fabrics dyed with cogon grass, talisay leaves, Philippine indigo, yellow ginger, loco roots, annatto seeds and sibukao wood. The blending of the colors gave the de la Cruz's booth a touch of classic elegance. Other products on display were throw pillows using the artistically woven abaca of Malinao superimposed on the colored abaca lining that gave an exquisite and unique character to the otherwise simple throw pillows.

Other entrepreneurs who were likewise beneficiaries of PTRI technologies who participated in the festival include Heritage Arts and Crafts and Handicraft Multi-Purpose Cooperative (HAMPCO).

The event was a fitting way of popularizing and highlighting Aklan's famous piña weaving industry and strengthening the local MSMEs exposure to the domestic and foreign market.