Love, buy, travel local

Banj and Mike Claparols —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

The still-raging COVID-19 pandemic has made many Filipinos wary about going out and spending their money, causing a severe drop in the revenues of the food and beverage and hospitality industries.

Indeed, far too many had no choice but to permanently close shop while others are barely hanging on.

Consumers can help stop the bleeding by spending on Filipino-made products and services or perhaps a staycation in local hotels and resorts, especially with the looser quarantine restrictions and establishments’ adherence to minimum public health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

That these sectors—composed mainly of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)—badly need revenues cannot be overemphasized thus the call for consumers to show them some love and make a purchase.

“It is important to buy and patronize locally made products. Every product we buy helps a local manufacturer save local jobs. Every imported product we buy creates jobs abroad, not here in the country,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Annabella Wisniewski

Annabella Wisniewski, founder of the Raintree Hospitality Group, could not agree more, saying that buying local helps small businesses and entrepreneurs support their families. For her, buying a locally made product is a more effective and direct assistance to those in need.

“Buying local also helps SMEs improve and increase production, boosting income. It will allow them to hone their craft. It will give more options to grow and to try to expand earnings in order to relieve a hand-to-mouth existence during the pandemic,” Wisniewski added.

Michael Claparols of Creative Definitions, one of the participants of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines’ MaArte@Zalora that will run until Feb. 28, stresses that there is an entire value chain supported by the purchase of even just a single locally made product.

For Creative Definitions, which champions Negrense handicrafts in the local market, that value chain includes fiber crop farmers and processors as well as designers, sewers and the marketing team that help make the business sustainable.

“So everyone is all part of a big wheel, acting as a spoke to support the center ‘hub of sustainability,’” said Claparols, who also shared that because of the pandemic, demand for locally made artisanal products has decreased and reached critical levels in several communities.

Mia Villanueva

Sharing his view is Mia Villanueva of MCV Designs.

“Due to the pandemic, people are not able to move around freely. The artisans like banig or textile weavers do not have access to their markets or customers. So when you buy local through an online platform like the MaArte Fair, you are giving the local craftsmen in far off areas a chance to survive and continue their livelihood,” Villanueva said.

Reena Gamboa of Whimsy by Silay Export Inc. echoes their sentiment.

“Buying local means jobs for our local fellowmen. Who else will help each other but us, fellow Filipinos? If we buy imported items, then we will be giving more jobs to them instead,” Gamboa stressed.The restaurant sector also deserves consumers’ help, given that it is an important market for food producers and can contribute to economic recovery. RestoPH head Eric Teng said potential diners need not be overly concerned as reputable restaurants do strictly follow safety protocols.

“The restaurant industry has always been one of the stricter implementors of hygiene protocols,” said Teng, who operates a restaurant group that includes Mango Tree and Genki Sushi. The hospitality sector is also doing its part to win back the confidence of cautious Filipinos by investing in increased and constant disinfection of their facilities and religiously following government rules so that contracting COVID-19 in their facilities should be just a remote possibility.

“Supporting local travel and hospitality industry will save the livelihood of countless hospitality workers,” said Chris Guballa, Group General Manager of Hue Hotels and Resorts Boracay and Puerto Princesa, “It will be a big loss—not only to the economy but to our much vaunted Filipino hospitality—if we just let this pandemic close our hotels and resorts one by one.”

Christine Ann Ibarreta, president of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association and director for sales and marketing of Golden Phoenix Hotel, said there was no better time to travel while keeping in mind health and safety protocols. Resort rates are heavily discounted and every stay means helping restart or even save a business.

“Be a hero by traveling. You get to save people, their livelihood, business, the economy and the country,” Ibarreta said.