PH reviving ‘buy local’ push: exec
MANILA – Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government is reviving the “buy local” campaign amid a different business environment due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
In an interview with DZRH radio station on Friday, Lopez said the "buy local" campaign aims to promote products and services of domestic enterprises to help them recover from losses during the two-month lockdown to curb the virus outbreak.
“We will revive the ‘buy
local’ campaign to stimulate buying Filipino products. It’s a big help to Filipino entrepreneurs,” he said, noting that the procurement office of the Department of Budget and Management prioritizes buying supplies for Covid19-related products from local sources.
Lopez added that many companies have repurposed their facilities to produce critically needed products, such as face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic.
He further said that this is also the industry’s response to some countries’ move to ban their export of Covid19-related products to cater to their own needs.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), some distilleries have shifted to producing isopropyl and ethyl alcohol to serve the surging local demand.
Garments exporters are now making medical-grade PPE coveralls and face masks while electronics companies are also producing ventilators.
The DTI has reiterated its call to companies that may repurpose their facilities to produce items and facilities critical to the fight against Covid-19.
Textile factories, garment plants, yarning spinning mills, electronics assembly plants, injection molding facilities, and prototyping shops can be repurposed to produce examination and surgical gloves, protective gowns, face shields, particulate respirators, and surgical masks.
Automotive product lines, aerospace manufacturing plants, specialized engineering service, testing facilities, manufacturing technology, and innovation centers, vacuum cleaner assembly, and machining shops can also augment the supplies for clinical care equipment, such as pulse oximeters, nasal oxygen cannula, adult and pediatric ventilators, and mechanical suction pump. (PNA)