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PATRIOTISM,” simply, is the love for one’s own country.
It is a term generally used to describe: (1) the
attitude that the members of a nation have when they
care about their national identity, and (2) the actions
that the members of a nation take when seeking to
achieve (or sustain) independence/self-determination.
When
Filipinos love the Philippines, they think and do things
that are good for the country. The simple act of buying
products “Made in the Philippines” is such a big
demonstration of love that shows how willing we are to
contribute to the achievement of our self-determination
as a nation.
This
year, two business groups—the Federation of Philippine
Industries and the Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce
and Industry—have started a campaign that urges
consumers to patronize Philippine-made products called
the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local program.
The goal
of Buy Pinoy is not to eliminate buying from other
countries, but to tell people that we also have our own
products with superb quality, so why not give them a
try?
Choosing
local over imported goods means meeting more than a
personal need to show patriotism; by buying local, we
meet the country’s needs, as well.
By
buying local, one actually helps promote
entrepreneurship, create jobs for thousands of
Filipinos, encourage domestic industries to improve on
their goods and services and bring in more revenues for
the country.
One
program of the government that promotes superb Filipino
products is the One Town, One Product (OTOP)-Philippines.
A priority program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
OTOP aims to stimulate economic growth, particularly in
the rural areas, and help in the alleviation of poverty
by supporting micro, small and medium enterprises
manufacture products and services capitalizing on raw
materials and inherent skills of local residents.
Through
OTOP, the leaders of each city and municipality work to
identify, develop and promote a distinctive product or
service that can compete with others in the market.
Together with national government agencies and the
private sector, they support micro, small and medium
enterprises in terms of business counseling, skills and
entrepreneurial training, product design and
development, appropriate technologies and marketing.
The
Department of Trade and Industry, through its regional
operations and SME Development Groups, spearheads and
promotes OTOP by conducting orientations,
seminar-workshops and conferences in different parts of
the country. It also coordinates with other government
agencies in providing the necessary assistance to the
local government units.
From the
roasted coffee of Tabuk, Kalinga, the colorful lanterns
of San Fernando City in Pampanga, to the mussels of
Jiabong, Samar, and banana chips of Davao City, OTOP has
been putting different provinces on the map and
encouraging consumers to rediscover what products these
places have to offer.
What
about furniture? Our local products continue to rank as
one of the best in the world, from the traditional to
the casual contemporary to the highly experimental. The
Philippine furniture industry manufactures affordable
products of exquisite craftsmanship, which is the
successful result of modern technology combined with
human creativity and eye for beauty.
Another
testament of our feat in the international market is
that furniture and furnishings from
Cebu and Pampanga
remain to be in demand because local designers and
manufacturers continue to be recognized for their
capability to design and develop furniture with superior
quality. Based on the Merchandise Export Performance
released by the Industry and Trade Statistics Department
of the National Statistics Office last December,
woodcrafts and furniture belong to the top gainers when
it comes to export with a 4.4 percent year-on-year
growth.
Another
product that needs to be patronized is our local
shoes—instead of buying imported ones, what about going
for the comfortable, durable, fashionable and affordable
genuine leather footwear that Marikina has to offer?
It’s a
small sacrifice to buy something slightly expensive but
with higher quality than those that can be bought at
knockoff prices in Divisoria or in tiangge. We
see the gesture of buying local as an insignificant act,
but it means a lot in helping the Marikina shoe industry
get back on its feet. With the increased demand and sale
in shoes comes money that could be used to fund larger
manufacturing units and modern machinery that could
improve economies of scale, productivity and
competitiveness for the industry.
With the
presence of local goods that are not only durable and
safe but also well-designed, consumers can find it
easier to appreciate products of Filipino ingenuity
while supporting the interests of domestic industries.
 Patronizing
local products is definitely a step in the right
direction. While globalization has facilitated
borderless trade and given Philippine products access to
other markets, the country cannot be the dumping ground
of cheap and substandard goods that threaten local
industries to extinction.
Campaigns that urge the people to prioritize the buying
of local products may be tagged as anti-global, but if
this is what will keep the heads of Filipino-owned
industries floating, then what’s wrong with it? If
buying “Made in the Philippines” means jobs for
thousands of Filipinos, flourishing of domestic
industries and more revenues for the country, then
consumers should see to it that they are counted in for
support. |
