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IT used to be called the “Buy Filipino” campaign.
Now it’s called the “Buy Pinoy, Buy Local” drive, and
President Gloria Arroyo is reissuing an executive order to compel
government offices and encourage the private sector to follow it. It
certainly took a long time coming—we in the trade union sector
together with the garment industry have been clamoring for it since
she first assumed office—but we’re glad the president has found
a renewed sense of urgency for the campaign again.
With a spending budget of over P1
trillion, the government is the biggest consumer around, and it can
do wonders for certain faltering industries. What more if every
Filipino takes up the government’s lead? What if private offices
would also buy Pinoy and buy local, from their office uniforms, to
their shoes, to furniture?
When we buy local, we don’t
just meet a personal or professional need. We meet the country’s
need as well because we make an investment in the Philippines, or in
the Pinoy who produces the product. Our purchases provide the Pinoy
seller and/or producer with the livelihood and income to meet his
own need. That Pinoy seller or producer does the same, buying stuff
and using the money to fund the livelihood of other Pinoys. Think of
the multiplier effect one simple purchase of a Filipino product has.
The government must set the
example as it is the biggest consumer. Just imagine if all
government uniforms were to be sourced locally, using indigenous
fibers like abaca, banana, pineapple and silk. The labor-intensive
garment industry currently employs about 250,000 people, but with
big job orders coming from government, many thousands more jobs
would be created.
I know the garment imports from
China are cheaper. But with increased demand comes money that could
be used to fund larger manufacturing units, modern machinery that
could improve economies of scale, productivity and competitiveness.
If every Filipino wears local-made, including undergarments, this
could happen.
What about shoes? I know a lot of
Pinoys like to show off foreign, expensive shoe brands. Nowadays
though it’s the cheap ones from China, Taiwan and Korea that have
sounded the death knell for the local shoe industry. Shoe imports
and the millions more of smuggled pairs have led to hundreds of
thousands of lost jobs for local shoemakers. Even the big department
stores and the known local brands in the country would rather sell
Chinese imports than buy from local shoemakers; in fact 80 percent
of the market is dominated by the cheap shoes made in China, while
local shoemakers have to compete for the remaining 20 percent with
the other imported brands. No wonder so many shoe factories in
Marikina, once the country’s shoe capital, have closed shop and so
many local shoemakers are jobless.
You could say that imports, both
legal and smuggled, have killed our shoe industry. As the ‘Buy
Pinoy, Buy Local’ slogan says, “When the buying stops, the
smuggling stops.” You could say conversely, that once Filipinos
start buying local shoes again, the resurgence begins. It’s a
small sacrifice to buy something more expensive but with higher
quality than the Chinese imports that you could buy at knockoff
prices in Greenhills or in any tiangge; a small sacrifice that could
help save the local shoe industry from extinction.
So far, I’ve been talking only
about what we wear. We can go on and on, of course, not just in the
office but in our homes. We can choose to buy local whenever
possible, and by that choice alone can help this country thrive.
Look around your house. For instance, where did you buy your
furniture? Why patronize the furniture sold by other countries when
in the global market, the Philippines is known as the Milan of Asia,
because of the creativity and design concepts of local furniture
makers. Buying Pinoy and buying local is like voting with your
hard-earned pesos, not for any political candidate, but for your
country and your fellow citizens. So, do it.
Bring it on, Oscar
I just had to get this in. I
thought the planned Oscar de la Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao is a mismatch
for our PacMan. De la Hoya, I thought, is too big and too
experienced. But after seeing the Steve Forbes-de la Hoya bout, I
would say Manny has more than an even chance to win against the
Golden Boy. Forbes once fought as a 130 pounder and went up 20 lbs
to fight de La Hoya, and he did all right. Manny hits a lot harder
and is a lot faster than Forbes. In fact, some boxing experts say
Manny already punches as hard as a middleweight. Now I’m pining
for Pacquiao-de La Hoya come December.
ernestboyherrera@yahoo.com
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