Dear PAO,

I am proud of our Filipino products and do believe that we can compete in the global arena with our produce and products. I think we should do more to promote our proudly Philippine-made products. Is there a government agency mandated to ensure the quality of our products?

Daisy

Dear Daisy,

Please be informed that our Congress recently passed a law establishing the “Tatak Pinoy Council.” This was established through Republic Act (RA) 11981, otherwise known as the “Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act.” Under the said law, a council was formed to have the following powers:

“Sec. 5. Powers and Functions of the Tatak Pinoy Council. – The TP Council shall serve as the policy and advisory body to the President and shall, adopting a whole-of-government approach, formulate policies and programs that will diversify the productive capabilities of domestic enterprises and increase the country’s economic complexity. xxx”Moreover, to ensure a whole-of-government approach and to harness the expertise of the different government agencies and the private business sector, the council’s composition was designated as follows:

“Sec. 4. Tatak Pinoy Council. – There is hereby created a Tatak Pinoy Council, herein referred to as the “TP COUNCIL”, with the Secretary of Trade and Industry as the Chairperson, and the Secretary of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the Secretary of Finance, both as Vice-Chairpersons. The Secretaries of Agriculture, Budget and Management, Information and Communications Technology, the Interior and Local Government, Labor and Employment, Science and Technology, and four (4) private sector representatives will serve as members: xxx”

This composition will ensure that the Council shall adopt a holistic, objective approach towards improving, not only our products, but also to generate a safe and decent employment, sound supply-chain management systems, and the adoption of greener technologies, which will ensure long-term sustainability.

All in all, this will elicit pride in Philippine products and services, sustain and improve the quality of our products, and make the Filipino products globally competitive.

We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated on.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to [email protected]