Salceda’s call to Boycott China Products is Hypocritical and Useless – NEPA
June 17, 2011
The National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) today said that Governor Joey Salceda’s call for a boycott of China products is hypocritical as well as useless.
“Salceda was a former senior economic adviser when the country opened up the market to China and started its entry over the local market to the detriment and bankruptcy of local producers and manufacturers. Needless to say, Salceda is one those directly responsible for the domination of imported Chinese products in the local market that Salceda is complaining about,” says NEPA President Bayan dela Cruz.
Dela Cruz furthered that “Salceda’s particularly insidious role was author deceptive ‘safety nets’ laws that turned out to be “full of holes”. Salceda bandied that the or the Countervailing Duty Act Republic Act No. 8751) or the Anti-Dumping Duty Act (Republic Act No. 8752), and or the Safeguard Measures Act (Republic Act No. 8800) would protect Filipino manufacturers against the influx of Chinese products.
“Salceda’s shift from “safety nets” to the boycott call of Chinese products only reflects his fickle and cavalier attitude to the economy to the detriment of Filipino manufacturers,” De la Cruz added.
Dela Cruz furthered that, “Salceda’s call of a boycott, however, sharply brought into focus the stark reality of the country’s vulnerabilities not just in the Kalayaan Islands conflict but more importantly our economic vulnerabilities.”
“The Kalayaan conflict is engendered by economics. Unfortunately, the country’s previous effort to assert its rights over the islands and explore its natural resources is not exactly motivated by patriotic intent. It must be noted that China’s recent aggressive moves came in the heels of the exploration projects by US and European oil interests done under the cover of the Philippine flag,” dela Cruz added.
He said, “as such, the Philippines are being made to be an unwitting tool, a proxy in the fight of global powers to oil. As to the reality that the Chinese had practically dominated the local market, along with the US and Japan, the country is better served by strengthening its manufacturing sector and the domestic market – something that Salceda’s “safety nets” miserably failed in doing.”
“Boycott of Chinese products will not strengthen our hand in the Kalayaan Islands’ conflict or in the economic trade war. Building and strengthening the domestic manufacturing sector along will an honest to goodness Buy Filipino campaign can go to long way rather than Salceda’s hapless boycott call,” dela Cruz stressed.
“We must take pains to build our economy so that we can stand on stronger footing as a nation. Let us Build Filipino, Buy Filipino!
