Following the success of its yarn manufacturing and innovation centre in Iloilo, the government is planning to open a second one in Northern Luzon, as part of a four-year plan to open four more similar facilities across the country.
Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Fortunato de la Pea stated that another Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (RYPIC) will be established by 2022, providing possibilities to the people of Northern Luzon.
The RYPIC, according to De la Pea, is one of the facilities his government has set up to encourage innovation and growth in the region.
He explained, “It is an approach taken by PTRI (Philippine Textile Research Institute) and supported by DOST to address the gap in the supply of yarns using natural textile fibres.” “We have a lot of work to do to urge our fellow Filipinos to advocate domestic technology and goods and to enable local innovation.”
RYPIC, according to De la Pea, intends to kickstart local textile innovation ecosystems by meeting the needs of micro, small, and medium companies (MSMEs) in the fashion industry, academia, and government institutions for yarns and fabrics made with local raw materials, skills, and talents.
It is also expected to bring communities and producers together and foster collaboration in the creation of products that would benefit all stakeholders economically, he said.
Aside from yarn manufacturing, the RYPIC will work as an innovation hub, promoting textile research and development in the region and generating economic activity in weaving villages around the country.
“Now we’re witnessing how the RYPIC is beginning to shape yarn innovation not just in Iloilo but across the country,” he said. “This is thanks to digital technology, which allows us to make products known and available to anyone, wherever they may be.”
According to the Philippine national textile innovation map, the DOST plans to create four more RYPICs in Northern Luzon, Southern Mindanao, Western Visayas, and Southern Luzon next year until 2025, following the establishment of the country’s first microscale yarn spinning factory in Iloilo.
The facility is housed in the Miag-ao campus of the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U).
