Senator Sonny Angara said the Bayanihan 2 mandated the government to purchase personal protective equipment (PPEs) for health workers from local manufacturers with its P3 billion worth of allocated funds.
Angara assured the Confederation of Philippine Manufacturers of PPE (CPMP) that local suppliers would be prioritized under the Bayanihan 2. CPMP complained earlier about why the government continues to buy imported hazard gears, which were reportedly low quality.
The senator said the ratified Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, or Bayanihan 2, requires the purchase of locally made PPEs and other medical safety equipment.
“There’s a provision [in the measure] that says local manufacturers should be prioritized if the government will purchase [PPE] and other equipment provided that the government will not be on the losing end [of the supply contracts],” Angara said in a radio interview.
“Their prices should be acceptable because the government will be shortchanged if we buy locally produced, but overpriced [PPE] … The [PPE] should be produced locally and priced reasonably,” he said.
Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee, said the measure would also provide incentives to local manufacturers so they could “quickly transition” to making PPEs and other protective gear.
Also read: Red Cross PH blames DOH for COVID-19 surge
Purchase of local PPEs mandated in Bayanihan 2
The senator said many local garment factories converted their facilities to make PPEs as their demand continues to rise due to the COVID-19 surge in the country.
Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Pangilinan criticized “unscrupulous people” for allegedly undermining local sources producing PPEs and were favoring imported gears.
Earlier, the CPMP asked lawmakers to let them “grow and be sustainable” by introducing fiscal policies protecting local PPE manufacturers from foreign producers.
“We need to level the playing field in view of the influx of substandard PPE,” the group said.
CPMP, composed of five manufacturers of garments and electronics, said the government is prioritizing imported PPEs from China and other countries despite the Department of Trade and Industry appeal for its members to manufacture medical safety products.
Bayanihan 2 provides P3 billion for the procurement of masks, face shields, and other protective gear for health workers.
As of August 23, the Philippines has 55,236 active COVID-19 cases, 2,998 deaths, and 131, 367 recoveries.