DTI blames Procurement Law over govt's failure to buy locally made PPEs

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) blamed the Procurement Law over the government’s failure to prioritize buying locally made personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo gave the response over the revelation of Coalition of Philippine Manufacturers of PPE (CPMP) Executive Director Rosette Carrillo that the five companies that reinvested US$35 million to repurpose its factories for PPE production had been suffering losses.

The repurposing of the PPE manufacturers' resources was made on the request of the government at the start of the pandemic last year. Despite the request, the government ended up not buying PPEs from the local firms.

“Project natin 'yan last year, kinonvince natin silang (manufacturers) na mag-repurpose. 'Yung mga gumagawa dati ng mga kung ano-anong produkto, nag-convert into producing face masks, face shields, PPEs, at that time during the emergency. Kaya lang, ang hindrance diyan sa bidding process, we have the Procurement Law. It does not specify na preference natin ang [bumili ng] domestic production,” Castelo said during the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.

(It was our project last year, we convinced manufacturers to repurpose and make face mask, face shields, PPEs amid the emergency. But the hindrance was the Procurement Law does not specify that we should prefer buying from domestic production.)

“Sana ma-amend ang Procurement Law na always to prefer muna ang local products over the imported products,” she added.

(We wish that the Procurement law be amended and provide specifics that local products will be preferred over imported products.)

Castelo then said that the output of local manufacturers would have had a better chance if their products were at par or even better than foreign made ones.

“Hindi naman sa hindi natin kinonsider sila [local PPE manufacturers], because of the law that we have, sana nai-push natin na sila mismo ay makalaban sa specifications ng imported products na pantay sila or lampas pa,” Castelo said.

(It is not that they were not considered. Because of the law, we wish that we could have pushed them to make their products which are at par or better than those imported.)

Carillo said that due to the pandemic and the government’s non-prioritization of their products, their industry had to let go of over 25,000 workers—of which 3,500 were from companies which had repurposed their assets for PPE making to respond to the government’s call. -MDM, GMA News