23/06/2025
IN A LANDMARK MOVE to safeguard Cordillera culture, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Mountain Province has passed Provincial Ordinance No. 573, which prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of machine-made replicas of indigenous woven materials and garments within the province.
The ordinance was approved during the June 2, 2025 session and signed by Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. Under Article 1, Section 2, the local government affirms its commitment to protect traditional weaves from being imitated through industrial means. Violators will face escalating penalties ranging from reprimand and confiscation of goods to eventual cancellation of business permits.
In recent years, the growing availability of mass-produced “ethnic-inspired” clothing has flooded both physical and online markets, with many using traditional Cordilleran motifs without permission, compensation, or cultural context. These machine-made goods, often cheaper and faster to produce, undercut the painstaking labor of local weavers and threaten to dilute the authenticity of the tradition.
“When outsiders profit off our patterns without understanding where they come from, we lose more than sales. We lose meaning.”
Source: Article by Mia Magdalena Fokno, Mountain Beacon
