Sen. Sonny Angara (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sonny Angara hailed the enactment of the Tatak Pinoy or Proudly Filipino Act, calling it “a giant leap” towards the country’s goal of becoming an industrialized country.
Angara is the principal author and sponsor of the measure, which was signed into law this Monday by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Ang hangarin ng Tatak Pinoy ay ang pagpapatatag ng ating ekonomiya sa pamamagitan ng mas malakas na koordinasyon ng gobyerno at ng pribadong sektor. Sa pamamagitan ng Tatak Pinoy ay malaman natin ang mga kailangan ng mga negosyante upang mapalakas ang kanilang mga operasyon at kung paano makakatulong ang gobyerno para makamit nila ang hangarin na ito,” he said in a statement.
(The goal of Tatak Pinoy is to strengthen our economy through stronger coordination between the government and the private sector. Through Tatak Pinoy, we will identify the needs of businesses to enhance their operations and how the government can assist them in achieving this goal.)
With the newly-signed law, Angara said industries will receive the support for the expansion and upgrading of their operations to make them more competitive in both the global and domestic markets.
Big and small industries will also be encouraged to innovate in order to produce higher value products that are sought after by bigger markets and will result in greater incomes for them, he further explained.
“Ang isa pa sa hangarin natin sa pagsulong ng Tatak Pinoy ay ang pataasin ang kita ng mga Pilipino dito sa sarili nilang bansa. Habang lumalaki ang kita ng mga negosyo ay umuunlad din ang ating ekonomiya at dahil dito ay inaaasahan natin na mas gaganda din ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan,” he said.
(Another goal in advancing Tatak Pinoy is to increase the income of Filipinos in their own country. As business incomes grow, our economy also improves, and as a result, we expect the lives of our fellow citizens to improve as well.)
Angara added that under the Tatak Pinoy law, there will be targeted interventions aimed at specific industries and sectors that have the potential for further growth or expansion.
A Tatak Pinoy Strategy will be formulated that will serve as the roadmap for the national government agencies, the local government units and the private sector in attaining the goals set forth in the law, according to the senator.
“This will be a very comprehensive program that will start from education where we will ensure our learners are equipped with the knowledge and skills they will need to cater to the requirements of employers; embracing innovation and technology transfer to allow businesses to come up with more sophisticated and higher value goods and services; and making strategic investments to address the gaps and strengthen the foundation of all industries and its workforce,” he said.
According to Angara, the Tatak Pinoy law was close to five years in the making.
It was also a product of extensive studies, research and consultations by his office with industry leaders, representatives of micro, small and medium enterprises, the academe, foreign institutions, and other concerned government agencies.