Companies warn of job cuts, losing billions in local trade as BIR slaps 12% VAT on export deals cnnphilippines.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnnphilippines.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
May 3, 2021
The Makabayan Bloc wants to investigate the government’s alleged preference in buying imported personal protective equipment (PPEs) over locally made ones amid the country’s fight against the pandemic.
The solons filed House Resolution 1735, urging the House committee on trade and industry to look into the issue on PPEs.
The progressive lawmakers said the PPEs were imported from China.
The importation preference “practically elbowed out local manufacturers that the government had asked to repurpose their factories for the anticipated increase demand for PPE during the pandemic,” it said.
“The local industry could not compete with foreign PPE manufacturers, which are now flooding the domestic with low-cost, albeit some were even reported to be substandard, PPEs from China,” the bloc said.
"The local industry could not compete with foreign PPE manufacturers, which are now flooding the domestic with low-cost, albeit some were even reported to be substandard, PPEs from China," the bloc said.
Published April 30, 2021, 9:30 AM
The government was able to buy only P660 million worth of medical grade personal protective equipment (PPEs) from local manufacturers, which are still suffering from excess capacity due to poor local demand as government procurement policy favors the cheapest price being offered by importers.
Maritess Jocson Agoncillo, executive editor of Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP), said that members of the Confederation of Philippine Manufacturers of PPEs (CPMP) were able to supply the government for the period November-December last year. CONWEP is the parent organization of CPMP.
“Because we were able to only join the government procurement process around end 2020 (Nov/Dec) period, from this only two members out of 5 generated contracts worth around P660 million. Apple to apple analysis, one of our repurposed firm on face mask was not able to ‘qualify’ or generate contract during the December/Nov bidding,” said
Garment sector asks gov t to include factory workers in A4 vaccination group gmanetwork.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gmanetwork.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.