Local manufacturers ask gov't to buy Filipino-made PPEs

Local manufacturers of medical grade personal protective equipment (PPEs) on Wednesday asked the government to buy Filipino-made products to sustain their repurposed garment factories.

During the Senate hearing on government programs for pandemic-hit industries, Coalition of Philippine Manufacturers of PPE (CPMP) Executive Director Rosette Carrillo recalled that the government has asked them to repurpose their garment factories to produce medical grade PPEs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Carrillo said five companies have reinvested US$35 million to repurpose portions of its factories for PPE production.

However, she said the government has imposed certain rules in procuring PPEs and the locally-made ones were disregarded.

“We were subjected to the lowest cost and unfortunately, also at that same time, the Philippine market was flooded with very low-cost PPEs from China, some of them are even substandard,” Carrillo said.

“We would like to call the attention of the Senate to hear the plea of the exporters, who have repurposed [their factories] and reinvested, to have the policies especially under the [Bayanihan] Act, to really focus on buying Filipino-made PPE,” she added.

Carrillo also urged the government to support the stockpiling of PPEs to secure supplies for future health crisis.

Retaining the repurposed factories will also retain around 7,500 jobs, she said.

The CPMP officer asked the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship to address this “urgent matter." --KBK, GMA News