UP Diliman (UPD) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) held a ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on May 5 at the UPD Office of the Chancellor. The MOU aims to “develop mutual cooperation and understanding between the two entities.”
The PTRI is DOST’s textile development arm, mandated to support the Philippine textile industry through research, technical services, training programs, and technology transfer.
Among the initiatives included in the MOU are the exchange of academic information and materials, collaborative research projects, use of facilities and equipment, lectures and symposia, student internships, continual professional development of technical staff, and community extension activities.
The ceremonial signing was led by UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II and PTRI Director Julius L. Leaño Jr.
They were witnessed by PTRI representatives; deans Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling and Shirley V. Guevarra of the College of Engineering (COE) and of the College of Home Economics (CHE); COE Associate Dean for Institutional Linkages Eric Augustus J. Tingatinga; College of Science (CS) Institute of Chemistry Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Medel Manuel L. Zulueta; chairs Mitch-Irene Kate G. Oyales and Ma. Teresa Quevedo of the COE Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering (DMMME) and of the CHE Department of Clothing, Textiles, and Interior Design (DCTID); and Maria Monica E. Rayala, assistant professor at the DCTID.
Leaño said the MOU is part of a larger push by the national government to improve the Philippine textile industry, which he said is included in its strategic investment plan.
“There’s a huge gap that we need to fill as far as the technical expertise for textiles. The very last program on textiles in the Philippines ended in the mid-, if not late 1990s, offered by Mapua. Wala nang textile engineering, wala nang textile science. The closest we could get is the clothing technology program of the CHE,” Leaño said.
Meanwhile, the COE stated that the MOU was born of a dialogue between the DMMME and the PTRI at the 2023 Philippine Textile Congress. By December 2024, the MOU was finalized and officially notarized. At the time, talks were still limited to only between the PTRI and the COE.
The ceremonial signing formally included the CS and the CHE, increasing the number of disciplines and academic units that can contribute to the MOU.