Patronize Filipino online sellers – Robredo

What can you do to help Filipinos in this time of pandemic? Buy their products.

Vice President Leni Robredo has appealed to the public to help their fellow Filipinos affected by the coronavirus crisis by buying their products from online stores.

Robredo, a leader of the

opposition, said patronizing locally made products and other items can help small entrepreneurs recover from the impact brought to them by COVID-19.

“Sana iyong mga mayroon namang capacity na tumulong, tumulong. Iyong pagtulong po, hindi lang iyon sa pagdonate, pero iyong pagbili ng local. (I hope those who have the capacity to help would help. Helping is not only by donating, but by buying local),” she said.

The vice president encouraged people to support small retailers selling local products on digital platforms like Lazada, Shoppee, and Zalora.

“Hanapin natin iyong mga local na sellers, iyong mga nagtitinda ngayon sa Facebook, sa Instagram. Bilhan natin. (Let us look for local sellers, those who sell now on Facebook and Instagram. Let’s buy from them),” she said.

Robredo made the appeal as many

Filipinos are trying to cope with living expenses, while most of them are out of work, due to an economy crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the people have been asked to stay home to help prevent the spread of the virus, the consumers making orders online have become the new normal.

The official highlighted the importance of spending to the affected sectors to mitigate the economic impact of the public health crisis.

“Iyong paggagastos ng pera ngayon, iyon ang kailangan para mabuhay iyong iba. (Spending your money now is needed for others to live),” she said.

Instead of taxing small online sellers, Robredo earlier asked the administration to help them by providing financial assistance in the face of the losses brought about by the pandemic.