Aklan to hold 8th Piña and Fiber Festival
Kalibo, Aklan -- Aklan's best products of blended loomwoven fabrics, fashion accessories and furnishings from piña, abaca, raffia and other fibers will once again be showcased through the Aklan Piña and Fiber Festival slated April 23-27.
The Fiber Festival is one of the major highlights of the weeklong celebration of marking Aklan's 51st anniversary as a separate province from Capiz which was realized when then President Ramon Magsaysay signed into law Republic Act 1414 on April 25, 1956.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here, new products will be launched in this year's festival. Mixed-media based (indigenous fibers like abaca, seagrass, nito, lampakanay, agzam, rattan, wood, bamboo, steel/iron) gifts and housewares as well as furniture and furnishings will be of latest designs and concepts. Deboned bangus, meat-based processed foods, and bakery products will also be displayed.
Ornamental plants and cutflowers will also be exhibited.
DTI-Aklan further said that special features of the Fiber Fest are the Fairtrade Zone that will be set up at the theme setting and the contemporary lifestyle setting of living spaces by the world-renowned lifestyle designer, PJ Arañador.
Most of the exhibitors will be Small and Medium Enterpreneurs (SMEs) assisted by the DTI but the activity will also be an opportunity for Aklan's 17 municipalities and several community-based organizations to exhibit their agri-industrial products. Also, a One Town One Product (OTOP) Corner will be mounted to showcase the OTOP of each municipality.
The province of Aklan is acknowledged as the Piña Capital and Handloom Weaving Destination of the country.
A big number of Aklan's SMEs are engaged in Piña cloth weaving. Piña weaving involves a tedious process – from harvesting native pineapple leaves to scraping, knotting and other sensitive steps up to loomweaving and coming up with the sheer, exquisite piña cloth, considered queen of Philippine fabrics.
The showcase, which expects some 100 exhibitors to take part, is a project of the provincial government of Aklan, the Congressional District Office, DTI-Aklan Provincial Office, and the Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade, Inc. in coordination with the Aklan Piña Manufacturers and Traders Association, Inc. and the Hugod Aklanon Producers Association.
Last year's Guest of Honor during Aklan's 50th Anniversary Commemorative Program was President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who acknowledged that Aklan "is the golden province of the country."
(PIA)