Solon wants Pinoy int’l beauty pageant contestants to wear gowns made by Filipino fashion designers

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MANILA — A neophyte solon has filed a bill requiring contestants representing the country in international beauty pageants to wear gowns that are made or created by Filipino fashion designers.

Parañaque City Rep. Eric L. Olivarez said House Bill 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 beauty pageant competition.

House Bill 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 said.

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 in which 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 competitions.

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 Php100,000 or both at the discretion of the court.