Senator Sonny Angara called on the private sector to take part in the work of crafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 11981 or the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act.

As the principal stakeholders of the Tatak Pinoy Act, Angara said the private sector, particularly the domestic enterprises should play an active role in ensuring that the landmark law will be properly implemented and will obtain its goal of improving the competitiveness of Philippine industries.

“The Tatak Pinoy Council (TPC) has started its work on formulating IRR of the Tatak Pinoy Act and in coming up with a Tatak Pinoy Strategy that will serve as the foundation of the law in attaining its various objectives. We encourage the private sector to participate in the process as their inputs would be essential as the ultimate beneficiaries of the law,” Angara said.

As the principal author and sponsor of the Tatak Pinoy Act, Angara thanked Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual for convening the TPC for its first meeting last April 3, 2024 during which he discussed the Tatak Pinoy Industrial Policy (TPIP). 

Pascual described the TPIP as a program that outlines a holistic set of priority initiatives and projects designed to promote economic complexity and diversification, targeting industries with high global growth potential and implementing targeted interventions such as significant investments in industrial innovation, skills training, and market expansion.

“Whereas in the past there were different policies being implemented by each agency of government, the Tatak Pinoy Act harmonizes all of these policies so that all efforts will be coordinated towards the goal of industrialization. This is a whole-of-government, whole-of-country approach and as such we need everyone to work together as one well-oiled machine,” Angara said.

Conceptualized by Angara in 2019, Tatak Pinoy seeks to empower industries to produce better, more sophisticated goods and services that will not only make them globally-competitive, but will improve their bottom line, as well as the incomes of the workforce.

“With like-minded people being part of the TPC, we are optimistic that the various government agencies and instrumentalities will be working on the same page and Tatak Pinoy Act will be able to achieve its goals and bring us closer to becoming an industrialized country,” Angara said.

During the first meeting of the TPC, Sec. Pascual emphasized the importance of helping industries produce more diverse and higher quality products and services and for the Philippines to move up the global value chain. 

“Why be content with manufacturing and assembling simple goods and components for other countries and then importing the very products where these components go to when we could be producing these here, be it by our local companies or the multinationals that will locate in our country,” Angara said.

Apart from crafting the IRR for the Tatak Pinoy Act, the TPC is also tasked with coming up with a list of Philippine products and services that will be given preference and priority in the government procurement process pending the formulation of the TP Strategy.

The TPC is the policy and advisory body to the President and is composed of the Secretary of Trade and Industry as its chairperson; the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and Secretary of Finance as its vice chairpersons; and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Budget and Management, Information and Communications Technology, Interior and Local Government, Labor and Employment, and Science and Technology; and four private sector representatives as its members.

After the crafting of the IRR and while the TP Strategy is being formulated, Tatak Pinoy forums will be held in key cities of the different regions to raise awareness of what the law is about and also to solicit inputs from the business groups in these areas.

“With Tatak Pinoy, there is now a bigger opportunity for the Philippines to finally break out and join the ranks of the world’s fastest growing and strongest economies. We should all work together in grabbing this opportunity for the benefit of our people now and for future generations,” Angara said.

The focus group discussions / public consultations on the drafting of the IRR for Tatak Pinoy will be held on the following dates:

•    Industry associations and businesses: April 11, 2024
Agriculture and manufacturing (10:00 AM to 12 NN)
IT-BPM and services (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM)
•    Academe, civil society organizations / non-government organizations, and labor groups: April 12, 2024 (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM)
•    Public consultation: April 16, 2024 (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM)

Venue will be at the DTI Regional Operations Group Multi-purpose Conference Room, 6/F. DTI Main Building, 361 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Makati City