The Northern Mindanao Region on Thursday led the 5th Philippine Silk Summit that opened new networks in the silk industry with investment potential.

One of the main developments was the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), the Department of Tourism (DOT), and the local government of Villanueva in Misamis Oriental for the Tourism Development Plan in sericulture.

Dr. Romela Ratilla, director of the Department of Science and Technology-10, said additional filature machines will be opened on March 2 in Villanueva town to encourage farmers to engage in sericulture.

DOT-10 Director Marie Elaine Unchuan said the MOA is an addition to the agency’s tourism circuit in Misamis Oriental.

“It will not only extend PTRI (programs) but also to beneficiary farmers, and we aim to make sericulture farm part of farm tourism site as well,” she said.

Florentino Lamba III, one of the sericulture farmers in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, said he was inspired by his father to farm mulberries, which were used to feed silkworms.

These silkworms will then create a cocoon used as raw material for silk.

“In 2018, I started with 500 hills of mulberries and now we are growing over 1,000 hills,” he said.

Lamba said that PTRI and DOST programs were essential in honing their skills and knowledge in sericulture.

Legislation

Meanwhile, Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano said there is still time for Congress to institutionalize the program and technical support for sericulture farmers.

“We need a law to create a roadmap to improve the sericulture industry, there are no doubts that we can achieve it because the market is already here,” he said.

Emano said having a law that will provide support and intervention to the silk industry in the Philippines will keep the mission and objectives of PTRI and DOST in place as a priority.

Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, who attended the Thursday event, noted that last year’s summit was a significant step towards capitalizing on the global market of the silk industry.

She said the Philippines can achieve the production of 20.4 million tons of silk by 2031. (PNA)