DURING the time of Carlos Garcia as the President of our country, he introduced and implemented the Filipino First policy. Under such a program, Filipino-owned business is prioritized over its foreign counterparts. This also includes the promotion of patronizing Filipino-made products by Filipinos.
This was the response of the government then when it observed Filipinos' strong reception of foreign products and our preference for "imported" products. The word "imported" then is equated to quality and style.
Many Filipinos supported the policy and the program although some branded them as "anti-foreigner." It nevertheless became successful in instilling awareness to Filipinos in creating and supporting our own identity.
Several years ago during the time when the Philippine economy was not at its best, the Buy Filipino Movement was organized and promoted. The movement is aimed at strengthening Filipino patriotism by way of patronizing our own products and services. The "Buy Filipino" has its own advertisement, promotional campaign and logo.
The global pandemic is undoubtedly killing economies of most, if not all countries all over the world. It is paralyzing various activities that are not even assured of when and how will they resume. Rich countries and those in the third world are affected regardless of their pre-pandemic status.
Our country is not spared with the effects of the pandemic and one way of helping our economy survive is reviving the said movement and promoting it at full blast.
When the enhanced community quarantine was implemented in the whole country, a lot of those who lost their jobs or those whose businesses were put to a halt became instant entrepreneurs by producing or manufacturing products from food, home stuff, among many others and selling them online.
Patronizing these small businesses is a good way to start reviving the Buy Filipino program and through such, we are helping the economy that was affected by the pandemic to bounce back. The flow of products or goods starts from the manufacturing of raw materials to processing them to come up with the finished products and selling them to buyers or end-users.
In the process, there are one or two people who are earning and somehow indulge in small economic activities that, if combined, form part of bigger economic engagements along with our fight against the pandemic. In this time of uncertainties, we need to survive including our economy.
It is high time that we start patronizing our own. Locally made products are now at par with the quality of "imported" ones. Aside from helping small businesses to grow, we are also helping the economy and our country survive this global-scaled deluge.
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