Govt agencies reminded of
‘Buy Filipino’ provision

BUDGET Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. on Tuesday reminded government agencies of the “Buy Filipino” provision in the national budget, which gives priority to locally made products in government purchases .
       Andaya said Section 22 of the general provisions of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) mandates that equipment, parts, accessories, supplies and materials that will be used by the government should be sourced domestically.
       Andaya said the provision , which has been a regular feature of past budgets, is reiterated in the proposed 2006 budget and in the one that Malacañang will submit to Congress next year.
       The “budget call,” or the guidelines for next year’s budget, requires proposed projects and activities “to consider available resources within a specific area or locality.”
       Andaya, however, clarified that the “buy local” directive in the national budget “is not absolute” as it permits, subject to certain conditions, the importation of goods and services that are not available locally.
       Importation can also be resorted to “when the price of the local product is more than 15 percent of that of a similar product offered by an enterprise other than a domestic entity,” Andaya said, citing Sec. 22 of the GAA.
       “If the quality of the locally produced material is substandard compared with its imported counterpart, then the latter can also be considered for government purchase,” the budget chief added .
       However, strict requirements are in place in seeking exemptions from the “buy local” provision in the General Appropriations Act.
       “For example, one must get a certification from the Department of Science and Technology that the imported material is indeed superior in quality than its local counterpart,” he explained.
       This year the government is programmed to buy P23 billion worth of supplies for office, school, hospital, police and military use, including gasoline, oil and lubricants
       It also has a budget of P61.9 billion for new public infrastructure, P10 billion for new buildings, P5.4 billion for new office equipment and furniture, and P7.2 billion for new machineries.