admin 
Ni Estong Reyes
DAPAT maging mahusay na halimbawa ang pamahalaan sa pagbili ng mas maraming
domestically-manufactured products sa kanilang pangangailangan sa mga tanggapan upang masuportahan at magsulong sa lokal na industriya, ayon kay Senador Sonny Angara.
Sa ginanap na ikalawang pagdinig ng Senate Bill No. 2218 o ang panukalang Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, sinabi ni Angara na dapat nalatag ang patakaran kung pagu-uusapa ang suporta ng pamahalaan sa local industriya sa pagbili ng supplies tulad ng office furniture.
“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,” ayon kay Angara.
Pinapayagan ng Government Procurement Reform Act ang pagbibigay ng procurement award sa lowest domestic bid pero hindi dapat bababa sa 15% ng lowest foreign bid.
Pero, sinabi ni Angara na hindi sapat ang epekto nito sa pagkilos upang suportahan ang local industries.
“It does not help that the private sector is also not supporting local, as noted by renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, who said new hotels and offices are going for cheaper products made overseas,” aniya.
“Cobonpue emphasized the need to establish a strong ecosystem in the industry to allow manufacturers like him to come up with products that are cheaper and make it more accessible to a wide market,” banggit ni Angara sa pahayag.
Matagal nang kinikilala ang Pilipinas bilang “Milan of Asia sa furniture circles dahil sa matibay na disensiyo at kalidad ng gawa.
Nakatakda sa SBN 2218, bibigyan ng prayoridd ang domestically produced at manufactured goods, supplies at materyales sa procurement activities ng gobyerno.
Inihain ni Angara ang SBN 319, na naglalayong itakda ang Certificate of Domestic Bidders program ng Department of Trade and Industry upang tulungan ang local enterprises, particular ang ginagawang produkto na “substantially grown” o manufactured sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay preference dito sa government procurement activities.
“With the wealth of talent in the industry, the creative sector has yet to be fully developed in the country and has a high potential for growth,” giit ni Angara.
Mayroon 10 domain sa creative industries na kinabibilangan ng: audiovisual media; digital interactive media; creative services; design; publishing and printed media; performing arts; visual arts; traditional cultural expressions; cultural sites; at iba pang domains and industries na maaaring tukuyin ng Philippine Creative Industries Development Council.
Kabilang dito ang film, television, music, software, video games, fashion and design, musical theater, paintings, arts and crafts, museums at cultural exhibitions.
“What we want to establish, as part of our Tatak Pinoy advocacy, is 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,” ayon kay Angara.
