The ailing shoe industry in Marikina can still be saved through government and public support, Senator Loren Legarda said on Wednesday.
Legarda, who visited the city, said “shoes made in Marikina are of good quality but the lack of support, especially by way of patronizing and marketing the products, has decreased the demand for these locally-made footwear.”
To help boost that demand, Legarda said the government can hold trade fairs to give Marikina shoemakers better exposure.
Citing figures from the Philippine Footwear Federation, Legarda said the number of shoe factories in Marikina has gone down to 130 from 7,000 in the 1970s.
The public can also help keep the shoe industry alive. “We can start by patronizing locally-made products. Marikina-made shoes are pretty, comfortable and reasonably-priced. Let us buy Pinoy,” she said.
Legarda is running for reelection in the 2013 senatorial elections.
