While all eyes nowadays are on people who got rich overnight from allegedly anomalous flood control projects, there are others who made a fortune also almost instantly by sub-contracting — but by legal means — through fashion, to be exact.

Effective last 8 December, all Philippine government employees are required to wear Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-inspired attire every first Monday of the month, followed by Filipiniana-inspired outfits on all subsequent Mondays, in accordance with Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular 16, s. 2024, a directive aiming to promote national pride and support for Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law that encourages the use of local and native fabrics.

The mandate has since then been fondly dubbed “Filipiniana Mondays.”

Initially, Filipiniana Mondays received mixed reactions. Non-government employees lauded it for boosting patriotism. But government employees, who are the ones actually required to wear it regularly, particularly public school teachers, complained that wearing barong Tagalog, terno and other Filipiniana is hot, uncomfortable and, therefore, could affect their job performance, such us teaching in poorly-ventilated classrooms in a tropical country.

As celebrity fashion designer Rajo Laurel once told me, a designer is someone who looks for solutions to a problem. Thus, for responding to challenges posed by Filipiniana Mondays, many local designers and fashion industry movers and shakers are now reaping the boons of the mandate.

Cebuano designer Jun Escario, for instance, in an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE at the recent launch of the design collective BRGY in Makati City, acknowledged Filipiniana Mondays as a form of government support for fashion sector workers and entrepreneurs like him.

“Filipiniana Mondays are a big help for local designers,” he affirmed, attesting that the directive helped boost demand and sales for Filipiniana.

From couture, Escario has also expanded his portfolio to include the modern Filipiniana sustainable workwear brand Bahay Tahi (house of sewing), which likewise widens the Cebuano designer’s presence in Manila.

Instead of usually itchy, hot and hard-to-maintain fabrics used in making traditional Filipiniana, Escario commissions the creation of special weaves from leftover fabrics and indigenous textiles into comfortable materials for Bahay Tahi. Also, through the brand, Escario does away with butterfly sleeves and other traditional shapes, and reimagines Filipiniana into modern and sleek silhouettes one can use to easily transition from work hours to happy hour.

From clothes to pearls

Thanks to Filipiniana Mondays, sales of Filipino national wear did not only increase at SM’s Filipino-themed store Kultura, but also, Filipiniana styles and designs have modernized and diversified, Joyce Chan, assistant merchandise manager told DAILY TRIBUNE in an interview exclusive.

“It (Filipiniana Mondays) contributed a lot, especially for LGUs (local government units) looking for their outfits for their every Monday Filipiniana uniforms, especially both for women, Filipiniana ladies, and barongs,” she said. “But also, it helped out in a way because they saw that aside from the traditional wears that we have, there are more modern Filipinianas and barongs…”

But, according to Chan, the mandate did not only affect apparel as appreciation and sales for local pearls also went up since those shopping for Filipiniana usually also look for matching pearls.

“(Apart) from our natural pearls here in the Philippines, we want to showcase different styles, how to make it more modern and make them into fashion pieces but still with a local touch,” she said of Jewelry Market, a pop-up store until 15 September at the Kultura store inside SM Store at the ground level, South Wing of SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, where new collections, customization and special offers are off for grabs. A 20-percent discount is offered for purchases P10,000 and up at all of the store’s branches nationwide until the end of the month.

The store chain’s pearls, Chan assured, all come from local sources, specifically, directly from Palawan’s pearl farmers.

“It’s good that we’re able to support the livelihood especially the communities in the provinces,” she explained. “It’s good to also introduce them to the greater retail market, so they’ll have the chance to grow their business.”

For starters, she recommended the more affordable freshwater pearls. But for those into more premium pieces, she suggested South Sea pearls that range from white to champagne, to black. The store chain also offers a sundry of styles, from basic and traditional ones to more modern and stylish ones combined with precious metals, semi-precious stones and beadwork.

“Our pearls here are really local, unlike the golds and silvers, they are usually imported from abroad. So our pearls are proudly Pinoy – locally produced,” she said when asked why invest on pearls instead of gold and other precious metals. “And since it’s locally-made, the pricing is competitive.”

Renaissance for Philippines’ ‘garments capital’

Among the major influences that made me love fashion so much that I now even have a fashion column, and a soon-to-be-launched fashion brand, is growing up in Cainta – by the border to Taytay, the country’s so-called “garments capital.”

In the ‘90s, before “Made in China” almost killed the Philippines’ garments industry, my fashionista mom, an ex-beauty queen dressed by the great Renee Salud in one of her pageants, used to regularly bring me to the workshop of then esteemed fashion brand Cinderella in Taytay – and we would buy clothes there hot off the seamstresses’ sewing machines!

Initiatives like Filipiniana Mondays have indeed increased the demand for more affordable Filipiniana from Taytay, helping the municipality to regain its glory as the country’s “garments capital,” municipal chief tourism officer Roel Supendio and councilor Cai Cortez, daughter of actor Rez Cortez, in charge of the municipality’s committee for tourism, culture and the arts, told DAILY TRIBUNE in an exclusive interview at the recent launch of TelaHistoria runway show in Pasay City.

“Almost all government officials today seem to be wearing Filipiniana from Taytay,” Supendio speculated.

“Thank God, (terno) boleros are very accessible in Taytay,” added Cortez since she and Supendio are also required to observe Filipiniana Mondays. While they go for intricately embroidered designs as these are seen as “works of art,” Supendio said they make sure, as government employees, to still not be “too flashy.”

“For me, it’s okay to wear something grand, for as long as it has been paid for a reasonable price,” Cortez said in Filipino. “It’s like if you could buy a fashionable outfit for P1,500, then why buy it from a designer store for P200,000? I think it’s a bit too much. I think, you can afford to buy fashionable clothes without breaking the bank — to be more sensitive to people who are having a hard time in life.”

Even Taytay, a known catch basin of flood from neighboring towns, had to evacuate at least 4,000 people and distribute them in evacuation centers due to the rains, said Cortez. Good thing, she claimed, that due to their continuous drainage initiatives, flood in Taytay, which used to subside after three to four days, now subsides in 30 minutes, so relocated individuals and families are able to return to their homes faster.

“And one more thing: In Taytay, nobody gets cold (during the rains). Because all of us have clothes!” Supendio joked partly in Filipino.

Still, Cortez stressed: “Just be sensitive lang, especially now, ang daming binagyo, nabahaan (Just be sensitive, especially now, a lot suffered from rains and floods).”

Her mom, a housewife who sidelined as a sewing sub-contractor, used to supply her dad’s celebrity friends with “duster” or house dresses.

“We’re really among the first in the country where sewing is the main livelihood. Since the ‘70s, Taytay residents’ main job has really been as sewers. Actually until now, if you go around every house, there are still many home-based sewers and are into subcon (sub-contractual projects). So that really is one livelihood that I can say we at Taytay has mastered,” Cortez said in Filipino. “Actually, if then, Baclaran was the go-to, Divisoria (for inexpensive clothes), now, those into clothing businesses also source from Taytay because of affordability and quality.”

“And I’ll tell you a little secret, but it’s not a secret anymore,” Supendio teased. “We are the ones producing for Baclaran.”

The ongoing “trend” in Taytay, which began during the pandemic, is for people to go to Taytay to find a supplier for their own makeshift fashion brands, which turned many people into millionaires almost overnight by live-selling the garments in e-commerce sites for twice or more the original prices in Taytay, said Supendio.

Additionally, he recalled that at their SM Megamall fair last May, stores’ stocks have ran out as early as 11 a.m. of the first day as shoppers bought clothes, Filipiniana included, “by bulk.”

“For example, a terno bolero would only cost you P350 to P380!” he vouched.

“Imagine, you just put on any shirt or dress and that bolero, and you’re instantly wearing Filipiniana,” Cortez added in Filipino. “And usually, in other stores, those cost thousands, right? In Taytay, it only costs P300, P400, and it’s beautiful already.”

According to Supendio, Taytay prices remain low because of “backyard economy” – the residents do not have to spend extra for rent of spaces and other utilities.

When asked for Taytay’s commitment to sustainability given that it has been promoting mass production, Supendio said many manufacturers are also into upcycling materials like katsa (flour cloth).

“As we had been telling everybody, we have been repurposing these supposed trash into new garments for sustainability and also to lessen the sins committed against the environment,” Supendio said in Filipino. “And one more thing – no fabric is wasted in Taytay! Even scraps are turned into potholders and doormats.”

Indeed, Taytay’s garments sector has become so huge, said Supendio, that they are even able to create the annual Hamaka Festival out of it — coming from Taytay’s shape and strategic location as the “hammock” before the more popular tourist and pilgrimage destination Antipolo. Pilgrims heading to Antipolo also historically stopped at Taytay for hammocks, claimed Supendio.

Celebrated every February for around 15 years now, the festival honors the municipality’s thriving garments and woodworks industries. But in lieu of the usual street dances, there are fashion shows literally on the streets, featuring Taytay’s designers, makeup artists and hairdressers.

Sunduan is another Taytay tradition that promotes heavy Filipiniana use as it encourages single ladies (called “Lakambinis”) and gentlemen (referred to as “Lakans”) to participate in a “sunduan” or fetching ceremony and parade wearing traditional Filipiniana and carrying parasols. The tradition, said Supendio, originated from Parañaque and was brought to Taytay, where it is continued to be observed for half a century now. “But we do it every three years because it’s costly!” quipped Supendio.

Just like in the case of Kultura where the increased appreciation for Filipiniana outfits extends to pearls, the rise in the demand for Taytay’s clothes also trickles down to other industries like food and crafts, said Cortez.

Thus, in addition to clothes, Taytay will be showcasing its products in a fair from 12 to 14 September in SM Megamall Mega Trade Hall 1, then in November in SMX in Clark, Pampanga and in USA, said Cortez. Supendio added that they already forged a collaboration with Boracay and Malay, Aklan hospitality industry companies to produce corporate uniforms, among others.

He shared that he found out that a tie-dye souvenir shirt he bought at Bora for P350 only costs P120 in Taytay — because the Boracay store reportedly sourced the shirt from Taytay and just added the Boracay name.

If there is something he could ask government to further help Taytay’s garments sector, it would be to push the planned MRT-7 line that would make the municipality more accessible to Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon. If we could add another wish to this — I bet many would agree — It is that the construction of this MRT-7 should no longer be tainted with anomalous kickbacks!