Exporters eye revival of garments, textile sector

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine exporters are pushing for the revival of the local textile industry to enable the country to address the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and face masks brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 outbreak.

During an e-forum, Robert Young, trustee for the textiles sector of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) and president of the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines said the Philippines is the only Asian country without a textile industry.

When Wuhan in China closed its borders in January to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Philippine garment manufacturers had to halt operations as they were unable to procure textiles.

“If we have factories nearby, or domestic, we can get supplies from these textile companies,” Young said.

“We cannot continue importing. We have to be self-reliant because we don’t know what will happen next,” he added.

To revive the textile industry, he said the Philippines could start by pushing for free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries like the US so local garment makers can enjoy duty-free entry of wearables.

He said the government should also consider revisions to the textile and garment industry roadmap to take into account the impact of the pandemic to the industry.

He said the COVID-19 health crisis is likely to lead to a 50 percent decline in garment orders as retailers would focus on selling inventory before making new orders.

Consumers are also not expected to immediately shop for clothes right after the lockdown is lifted.

Young said the garments industry may recover from the impact of COVID-19 in 18 months at the earliest.

Under the textile and garment industry roadmap, the Philippines aims to be among the top 10 garment  exporters in the world by 2026 to 2029.

To achieve that goal, Philippine garment exports have to grow 45.8 yearly during the three-year period.