By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINE government is leaning on its so-called Tatak Pinoy strategy, including a push for local procurement, to revive domestic manufacturing after factory activity hit a four-year low in November, officials said.
“We were all concerned that the manufacturing PMI has gone down, but thankfully we now have the Tatak Pinoy strategy, and one of the pillars is government procurement,” Economy, Planning and Development Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon told a panel discussion on Wednesday.
The country’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) dropped to 47.4 last month, from 50.1 in October, signaling a contraction in operating conditions and making the Philippines the only Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) country to see a manufacturing downturn in November. A PMI reading below 50 indicates deterioration.
Ms. Edillon noted that government programs — from healthcare and education to supplementary feeding — could rely on locally produced goods, creating demand for Filipino manufacturers.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched the Tatak Pinoy Program on Tuesday, targeting sectors including agro-processing, electronics, information technology, business process management, pharmaceuticals, and defense for global competitiveness.
“We envision an ecosystem where micro, small and medium enterprises can thrive and Filipino brands can conquer the global market,” she said in a keynote speech. To achieve this, the program prioritizes domestic suppliers in government procurement, leveraging public spending to stimulate innovation, strengthen supply chains and support homegrown industries.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd) is one of the biggest government buyers, overseeing 45,000 schools and about a million teachers and employees.
“DepEd’s demand gives us market power,” he said on the sidelines of Wednesday’s event. Classroom construction materials and textbooks can be locally sourced, supporting local authors and manufacturers, he added.
He also said DepEd would contribute to developing a skilled, world-class workforce, aligning with Tatak Pinoy’s broader goals of capacity-building and economic modernization.