CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- The Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Department of Tourism (DOT) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) solidifying their commitment to elevating the silk industry's presence in the tourism landscape.

The collaboration entails the active involvement of DOT-10 in promoting the silk industry, particularly the inclusion of silk facilities in the tour circuits of DOT.

The MOA between PTRI director Julius Leaño, Jr., and DOT Regional Director Marie Elaine Unchuan was held during the 5th Philippine Silk Summit in Cagayan de Oro City last week.

Unchuan said the inclusion of the silk facilities in tour circuits ensures continuing education and awareness of the importance of sericulture and the silk value chain for our tourists. “It will also spark interest in this product, possibly increasing demand and also attracting investors,” she further said.

Other strategies of DOT to promote the country's silk sector were to embed local textiles like silk in the tourism landscape, such as featuring indigenous weavers in tourism activities to highlight their contributions to Filipino culture and heritage and incorporating production houses as part of heritage tours where travelers can watch how their silk is being produced.

“Even here in our region, some of our tour circuits include visiting indigenous tribes, which includes interaction with our own weaving communities. Though most of them do not use silk yet, this is yet another possibility for the new industries,” the DOT-10 regional director explained.

Looking ahead, the DOT envisions teaching Indigenous People (IP) weavers silk weaving, featuring indigenous designs.

Leaño, meanwhile, underscored the importance of collaboration and convergence to advance the Philippine silk industry and promote the welfare of sericulture farmers and silk weavers.

“At the heart of the conversation are not just our designers, the creative industry, or the academe, but more importantly, this is about the stories of our communities. Because the aim and the goal are not only to produce silk but also to be able to touch lives,” he said. (APB/PIA-10)