Buy Philippine products

NO HOLDS BARRED
Ike Señeres

MANILA -- The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FCCCII) are set to launch a new “Buy Pinoy Campaign” on June 10, and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has already joined this campaign that seeks to encourage Filipinos to favor the consumption of locally produced goods and services, over those that are “imported or smuggled” into the country, in order to stimulate the local economy and create new jobs, according to the TUCP Secretary-General, former Senator Ernesto Herrera.

“Never say die” I should say, because we have tried many times to launch several “Buy Filipino” campaigns, but to no avail. This idea was first proposed by the late President Carlos P. Garcia, but hardly did it take root, and neither was it sustained. I am not about to oppose the resurrection of this noble campaign, but I say that this time around, we should make it take off, and then make it last forever.

According to my TV guest Dr. Ernie Gonzales who is President of the National Economic Protection Association (NEPA), the drive to buy local products is even more important now, because of the upcoming implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) this coming January 2010. This date is just around the corner, and the move of the government to postpone it may just be too late.

NEPA is already more than 70 years old, and it is practically the oldest non-government organization in the country, established long before the acronym NGO was made popular. Come to think of it, the NEPA campaign to buy local products has actually antedated the campaign launched by President Garcia. Since we have failed before in the past in this regard, we should make every effort now to make it succeed this time.

My other TV guest Dr. Dieter Benecke of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF) says that the philosophy of the social market economy (SME) is inextricably related to the preservation of the environment, because the issue of environmental preservation is always connected to the responsible production of goods and services.

Ms. Margo Mercado, my contact at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) who arranged the interview of Dr. Benecke was quick to point out that his SME subject was not the same as the commonly known meaning of small and medium enterprises. As it turned out, his definition of the social market economy actually favors the promotion of small and medium enterprises.

To some extent, it could be said that the big companies are partly responsible for our failure to globally competitive products, with a few exceptions. It is the government that has practically spoiled them with too many incentives that were just used to increase their profits, but not improve their global competitiveness.

This time around, it may be best to spread over these incentives to the small and medium enterprises, as a way of growing the social market economy, a “set of thinking” that is being promoted by Christian social democrats worldwide. Small is still beautiful, and I fully agree with that.
How are we going to make the “Buy Pinoy” campaign succeed this time? The best way to start I think is to strictly enforce the markings of all products that are sold in the local market, both local and imported. After that, it would make a lot of sense to come up with a database of all products that are truly locally made, based on their approved markings.
As we revive the campaign to buy local, we should be wary of the fact that because of globalization, many Filipino companies are now sourcing their products from abroad, while at the same time using or keeping their local brands. This would often confuse Filipino buyers into thinking that their products are locally made, but are actually imported.

For example, Shoemart is using the SM brand in selling shoes in their stores, a brand that is known to be local. Sad to say however, most if not all of their shoes are now made in China , a move that has happily brought life to their bottom lines, but has sadly caused the death of the local shoe industry. This is apparently true in the case of “Kamiseta” and “Bench” also.

Watch my TV show “Bears & Bulls”, a daily coverage of the Philippine Stock Exchange. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Global News Network. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639293605140 for local cable listings.