The Philippine government should set an example in supporting the country’s local industries by purchasing more domestically-manufactured products, Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Wednesday, June 21.            Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara (Senate PRIB Photo)
Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, suggested that the government sets a policy requiring its agencies to buy locally-made merchandises for their office requirements in order to support and provide local manufacturers a boost. “Government should set an example--they should buy local. We need to have a policy in place wherein priority is given to local manufacturers in the procurement process,” said Angara said, during the second hearing on Senate Bill No. 2218 or the proposed Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act. The Government Procurement Reform Act allows for the procurement award to the lowest domestic bid, provided that it is not more than 15 percent of the lowest foreign bid but Angara said this is not enough to make an impact on the effort to support local industries. Renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue had noted the lack of interest n the part of the private sector in supporting local products,  lamenting that new hotels and offices are also going for cheaper products made overseas. Cobonpue stressed the need to establish a strong ecosystem in the industry to allow manufacturers like him to come up with products that are inexpensive and make it more accessible to a wide market. Accordingly, he said, the Philippines has long been known as the “Milan of Asia” in furniture circles because of the strength of its designs and quality of work. Should SBN 2218 be passed into law, preference would be given to domestically produced and manufactured goods, supplies and materials in the procurement activities of the government, Angara said. He also filed Senate Bill No. 319, which seeks to institutionalize the Certificate of Domestic Bidders program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to help local enterprises, particularly those that produce goods substantially grown or manufactured in the Philippines by giving them preference in government procurement activities. In pushing for the passage of the two measures, Angara said it is necessary to establish, as part of the “Tatak Pinoy” advocacy, a design identity for the Philippines. “We want to create a Philippine brand that will be even more renowned that it already is right now. We can do this by scaling up industries and making them more competitive, particularly in the global marketplace,” Angara said. At the same time, the senator also welcomed the statement made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about the need to diversify the country’s exports—a strategy that he has long been advocating in order to improve competitiveness and the overall vibrancy of the Philippine economy. “We are elated to have the President on the same page with us on the need to diversify our exports,” the lawmaker said. “This will now put this push for economic complexity at the front and center of the government’s policies and we will provide all the support we can on this effort,” Angara said.