OFW Journals (OFW Stories on the News) and Some OFW Employment, Career & Business Tips

BUY PHILIPPINE PRODUCTS (Make sure it is really "Made in the Philippines" - Efren S. Cruz)

Mga Kababayan,

Alam niyo bang ang Thailand ay kumikita ng (kasama ang export) ng $85 billion dollars taon-taon (karamihan ay pagkain/agricultural products, gems/jewellery, cutflowers, turismo, etc.) Ang Pilipinas ay kumikita lang ng $30 to $35 billion dollars kada taon. Kaya mas mayaman ngayon ang Thais kahit di sila marunong mag-English kesa Pinoys.

Basahin maigi ang mga nakasulat sa likod ng produkto. Dapat gawa sa Pilipinas. Pati mga gamit pampaganda (lotion, sabon, shampoo, etc) tingnan kung Saan ginawa.

Kung mahilig kayo magpasalubong ng mga lotion, toothpaste, sabon, kape, karne norte o tsokolate - sa atin na lang kayo mamili. Pareho lang presyo pag nag -convert kayo sa riyal o dollar. Hindi pa kayo mamomroblema sa bagahe.

Marami na sa ating malls at supermarket na kompleto na sa lahat ng klase Ng paninda - galing abroad o gawa sa atin. Duon na lang kayo mamili ng pasalubong, kikita pa ang bansa natin kesa igastos niyo rito ang pera niyo.

Save jobs, buy Philippine-made For those Filipinos who are sincerely looking for a way to help the poor in this country, there is a simple and direct way, which will yield immediate benefits. This is the time to help save jobs and reduce poverty by buying only products manufactured in the Philippines.

This is the time to stop patronizing products made by companies like Caltex and Colgate Palmolive which have decided to "abandon" this country. This Is not a call for ultra nationalism. This is a simple call for all of us to help in overcoming our greatest economic challenge which is the alleviation of poverty.

I realize that there are many people who are legally citizens of this country, but who do not feel any obligation to help its people. In fact, there are those who do not even have a sense of kinship or solidarity with
the Filipino poor.

However, I continue to believe that the majority of Filipinos remain proud of their heritage and feel that helping the poor is a mission and not a social burden.

At the same time, this is not an unreasonable demand because this not a crusade to patronize only Filipino companies. Let me repeat that I am simply saying that Filipinos should buy products made in Philippine-based factories that are employing Filipino workers.

For example, why should Filipinos patronize Caltex which closed down its refinery and is now importing its products? It makes more economic sense to patronize Petron and Shell which have made major investments in this country and continue to provide jobs for Filipinos. I am sure everyone will agree that Petron and Shell products are just as good as Caltex.

The Colgate products sold in the Philippines are made in Thailand. Every time you buy these, you help the Thai economy. However, when you patronize Hapee and Unilever products, you are helping to employ more Filipinos and are contributing to the Philippine economy. I also believe that a genuine movement to buy Philippines will encourage foreign investments because it will assure them of a domestic market. It will also send a signal to foreign companies that any company wishing to exploit the Philippine market must not close down its operations in this country.

We are all so involved now in raising funds and other necessities for the flood victims who are hungry and do not have any decent shelter. But we have millions of Filipinos who are not flood victims and yet do not have
access to the basic necessities of life.

More and more, we hear of increasing crimes. More street children and social unrest. The solution is not more relief goods or charity. The only real solution is giving the poor JOBS. Today we hear of more employment opportunities in the sunrise industries like IT and call centers. But this will mean jobs only for those who need the least assistance -- the graduates of schools like De La Salle, UP and Ateneo. It is the poor who desperately need jobs which only the agriculture and manufacturing sectors can provide in sufficient numbers.

A few years ago, Raul Concepcion came out with a message that is still so relevant today. He said, "Now is the time for everyone to rally behind the country and the economy. Buying local is not just simply an act of
nationalism. It is an act of survival."

In this Christmas season, this season of buying and giving gifts, I hope those of us who continue to love our nation and its people can help create jobs for the poor by buying products made in the Philippines by Filipino
workers.

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About the Author
Elfren S. Cruz is a professor of Strategic Management at the De La Salle
University Graduate School of Business. E-mail comments to
cruzes@info.com.ph. .
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Additional Tips : Kung namimili kayo sa Al-Khobar or (Brunei & Miri) ng mga produktong galing Pilipinas, ingatang huwag bumili ng me tatak PINOY (gawa ito sa Thailand) o MAKATI (gawa sa Singapore/Malaysia) o Rufina Patis (gawa sa Thailand). Ibig sabihin dinadaya tayo ng Thailand o Singapore o Malaysia.