House Minority Leader Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. said it is important to procure Philippine-made personal protective equipment (PPE) which is mandated by Bayanihan to Recover as One bill.
(Facebook / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Abante frowned on reports that the government has been procuring cheap but substandard PPEs from China despite the availability of locally manufactured PPE that meets international testing and certification standards.
"As a general rule, our procurement laws require us to buy the cheapest available products so long as they hew to particular specifications," he said.
"However, in this case, we have to consider two things: First, the safety of our healthcare workers (HCWs), and second, the need to prioritize and patronize locally manufactured products in order to spur economic activity," noted Abante, a Baptist bishop.
He said Congress recognizes the importance of helping local manufacturers, which is why it included provisions in the Bayanihan 2 bill that explicitly state preference for local products.
Section 4 (t) of Bayanihan 2 states that with regard to the procurement of PPEs by the national government through the DoH, "preference and incentives shall be given to medical safety products that are locally manufactured."
Bayanihan 2 allots P3 billion for the procurement of face masks, face shields, and PPEs. Abante stressed that the country will benefit many times over if these funds are used to purchase internationally certified, locally produced PPEs.
"Doing so would be a win-win for us; not only do we guarantee the safety of our heroic HCWs, we also aid local manufacturers who employ Filipino workers. We will be able to save Filipino lives and support the livelihood of Filipinos," he said.
The Manila solon added that the government should send a "clear and unequivocal signal that it supports local industries."
"The government even asked asked local manufacturers in March to repurpose their facilities in order to make medical grade PPEs. Now that Filipino manufacturers have done their part and invested millions of dollars to repurpose their factories, government has to do its part and source our PPEs from them," Abante said.