If elected, Vice President Leni Robredo aims to revive the manufacturing sector in the Philippines which took the hit from the impacts of coronavirus pandemic.
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In her acceptance speech as among the Partner of the Industry Awardees during the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) 1st quarter general membership meeting on Thursday, Jan. 27, Robredo reiterated her intention to reawaken the industry by crafting and implementing roadmaps for the industry.
"We also aim to revive the manufacturing industry by crafting and implementing industry roadmaps. We will maximize our resources and build strong links between different industries to ensure that everything we need— from upstream to downstream industries— can be manufactured in the Philippines," she said.
In order to do this, the country first needs an honest government, which her presidency bid advocates.
"With an honest government, we can unleash the immense potential of the industry— and here, the opportunities abound," she added.
The aspiring president stressed that the country can capitalize on electronic exports by "processing and using semiconductors domestically," citing tat on November 2021, semiconductors accounted for 41% of our overall electronic exports.
"The number is impressive, and it is a testament to your hard work; and yet we know this remains an upstream product. As laid out in our jobs plan, our goal now is to grow our downstream industries to ensure we manufacture and export higher-value products," Robredo said.
"We can invest in industries like microchip manufacturing: With higher-value products, we get more profits and increase GDP. This is something we can take advantage of especially now that we face a global microchip shortage because of reduced production due to the pandemic, as well as tensions in trade between the U.S. and China," she added.
Subsectors of the Philippine electronics industry include semiconductors, electronic data processing equipment, office equipment, telecommunications, communications and radar, automotive electronics, consumer electronics, and medical/industrial instrumentation. It employs over three million workers.
The Vice President underscored that with the help of organizations like SEIPI in the industry is key in achieving the goal to reawaken the strength of the country's industry.
She also vowed that under her leadership, if elected, the business community will be the government's partner.
"I affirm my commitment to the business community: My government will always remain a strong and steady partner of the industry," she said.
She further said that her presidency "will foster an environment where enterprises can compete fairly; where government is more enabling and less regulatory: Not fixating on restrictions, not waiting to pounce and penalize those who make the smallest missteps, but a partner that listens, collaborates for the common good, and harmonizes discordant voices."
Robredo during her acceptance speech also acknowledge the SEIPI's donation worth P670,000 for her office's typhoon Odette relief operations.
SEIPI is the leading organization of multinational and Filipino-owned semiconductor and electronics companies in the country with over 338 members, including manufacturing firms, allied industries, and the academe.