DA urges: Patronize Local Products

By MARVYN N. BENANING

Manila Bulletin

July 28, 2011, 4:03pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) Thursday urged all citizens to dump foreign items and patronize only farm and fisheries produced by Filipinos.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala issued the call after major supermarkets, hotels and restaurants promised to buy local agriculture and fishery products and substantially reduce their importations.

It also came in the wake of the call of the National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) for all Filipinos to think and act like the Japanese, who do not buy any foreign food product that competes with their own.

National Economic Protectionism Association said that patriotism is needed for the economy to survive, for food producers to earn and for the manufacturing industry to thrive.

An organic farmer himself, Alcala has been pushing for increased consumption of organic agricultural products and asked citizens to consume the more nutritious brown rice.

He noted that private sector support is needed to give local food producers a big boost since higher demand “would encourage Filipino farmers to produce more and earn higher incomes.”

The commitment, Alcala disclosed, was made during a meeting initiated by the DA on July 18.

Alcala expressed concern about the flood of imported farm products, particularly onions, in public markets and supermarkets.

The meeting was attended by officials and representatives of the Philippine Association of Supermarkets Inc. (PASI), Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association, Inc. (PAGASA), Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP), Rustan’s Supermarket and a farmers’ group, the Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magsisibuyas ng Nueva Ecija (KASAMNE).

These groups promised to support Alcala’s thrust to promote, sell and use Filipino farm and fishery products.

Alcala said the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) will establish a central depot or distribution hub in which small supermarkets could buy their regular stocks of agri-fishery products, including onions.

Philippine Association of Supermarkets Inc. (PASI) told Alcala the group prefers to sell organic agricultural products.

Alcala asked the group to provide DA a list of organic products which the department will refer to interested suppliers, farmers’ groups and producers.

Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) committed to provide the DA with the list of farm and fishery products and ingredients that hotels and restaurants require which farmers’ groups could supply on a regularly basis. Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magsisibuyas ng Nueva Ecija (KASAMNE) committed to ensure a sustainable supply of onions.

Its members will soon produce off-season yellow granex onions. These will be planted beginning August and could be harvested by October through November to meet the demand during the Christmas season.

Alcala said the DA will spearhead a program to revive the country’s garlic industry, which had been battered by the influx of cheap garlic from Taiwan and other countries. He added he is promoting the production of local peking duck to supply the requirements of Chinese restaurants.

In the same meeting, Alcala commended Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez for their successful seizure of 4,000 bags of imported red onions worth P3.5 million. The initiative was part of the Customs Oplan Sagip-Agri (COSA) project to confiscate previously “cleared” imported products and penalize erring importers.

Alcala asked the Bureau of Customs to implement Customs Oplan Sagip-Agri nationwide.

The July 18 meeting was facilitated by Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) director Leandro H. Gazmin and attended by officials of DA-attached agencies and Department of Trade and Industry.

‘Open skies’ will ruin PH flag carriers: NEPA

Malaya Business Insight

The National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) is backing the growing opposition to the open skies policy of the Aquino administration, saying it would only lead to destruction of the country’s flag carriers.

NEPA president Bayan de la Cruz says the President’s “ill-thought and badly motivated executive order on open skies shoots the lights out of Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific.”
De la Cruz welcomed the opposition to the new policy, which had been advocated by Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim for decades and opposed by tourism industry leaders who want reciprocity.

He backed the position of Lance Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific and scored the absence of any consideration for the interest of local carriers.
“As (Gokongwei) correctly pointed out, Aquino’s executive order opens the country’s skies without any … reciprocal gesture from foreign countries,” De la Cruz said.

Established in 1934, NEPA has long advocated the protection and promotion of local industries so that they can compete in the national economy and even venture internationally.

“Unfortunately, neo-liberal policies had already virtually wiped out the country’s industrial, manufacturing and agricultural sector. The Aquino administration’s open skies policy, among other ill-advised programs, will severely damage what remains of the service sector,” De la Cruz warned.

“Gokongwei stressed that what they (Cebu Pacific) are seeking is equal, and not favorable, treatment. NEPA, too, does not advocate protectionism,” he said.

If the government really wants competition, it must foster a level playing field where any airline can compete, De la Cruz said.

“However, a level playing field is illusory in the airline business if one takes into consideration that the United States (and France) have a virtual monopoly of the production, sale and rental of aircraft in this part of the world,” De la Cruz argued.

“Moreover, the US and French governments extend strong support for their airline and aircraft (manufacturing) businesses – cajoling and bullying other countries to expand their markets and maintain their duopoly. It is strange why the Aquino government acts with unctuous servility to US and French interests,” the NEPA leader lamented.

“The reality of globalization is an inescapable fact of our economic and business life. However, globalization does not mean the lack of protection of local industries. Up till now, the present administration has shown a remarkable penchant for promoting foreign interests to the detriment of our own,” De la Cruz said.

 PGMA Administers the Oath of Office to Incoming National Economic Protectionism Association Board Members

Balita.ph

April 24, 2010 8:05 am

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administers in Malacanang the oath of office to incoming National Economic Protectionism Association Board members (in random order): Bayani Dela Cruz, president; Atty. Saidamon Dimaporo, Lester Garag, Melvin Fernando, Willim Sanchez, Alvin Millan, directors; and Fernando Dela Cruz and Beth Fernando, members. Also in photo (5th from left) is Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza. (PNA/NIB photo by A.Francisco)

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