A lawmaker has filed a measure requiring contestants representing the Philippines in international beauty pageants to wear gowns that are made or created by Filipino fashion designers.
Rep. Eric L. Olivarez of the First District of Parañaque City said House Bill (HB) 5691 to be known as the Filipino Fashion Designers for Filipino Beauty Pageants Contestants Act of 2015, mandates that Filipino fashion designers must at all times be involved in the designing of garments, dresses and costumes for Filipino beauty-pageant contestants.
The bill also provides that garments, dresses or costumes, which are representative of Filipino culture, identity and nationality, shall, at all times, be the default fashion design for every Filipino beauty-pageant contestant in any international pageant competition.
HB 5691 allows foreign fashion designers to assist Filipino fashion designers in the creation of garments, dresses or costumes of Filipino beauty contestants in an international beauty-pageant contests, provided that the fashion designers creating the costumes or dresses are working as a team and that the team is headed by a Filipino fashion designer.
“The foreign fashion designer may also assist the Filipino fashion designer in the selection of materials to be used for the finished products to conform to factors such as age, gender and physical status of the Filipino contestants,” Olivarez explained.
In filing the bill, Olivarez said in any international contest, most especially international beauty pageants, nationality and design should always reflect the country’s expression of excellence and ingenuity.
“It is for this reason that our Filipino fashion designers, who are experts in their fields, should be the entrusted designers for our Filipino contestants in international beauty pageants,” he said.
The bill mandates the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as the primary commission to regulate fashion designers for beauty pageants and other fashion-design competitions the Philippines is participating.
“The measure also aims to facilitate greater coordination among fashion designers in the country with the help of the NCCA, as well as to require local franchise holders and other institutions of beauty pageants to standardize the recruitment of fashion designers to be strictly Filipino,” Olivarez said.
The bill requires all local franchise holders, sponsors, handlers, organizers and other institutions of beauty pageants to recruit or have a pool of Filipino fashion designers who could immediately be engaged, hired or tapped in any international beauty-pageant competition.
Any franchise holder, handler, organizer and sponsor, whether a corporate institution or individual who or which grossly violates any of the provisions as provided under this proposal, shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment of six months or a fine of P100,000, or both at the discretion of the court.