28 February 2025, 9:30 AM | M.I.C.E. CENTER
His Excellency Ilang Fluss, Ambassador of Israel to the Philippines. Good morning, Ambassador. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Raymond Alimurong, good morning. Fellow colleagues from the government, PCCI high-ranking officials, Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Consul Nina Mangio, good morning. Colleagues from the government, valued private sector partners, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning to all of you.
The focus of the DTI for the next, under my leadership for the next three years, will be mainly on international trade and foreign investments, means bringing foreign trade and investments to our country. This will be a big help in terms of income for our country and also providing jobs for Filipinos.
Second is the consumer protection and the Fair Trade Group. We need to make sure that the products being sold here in our country are passed through the standards that are set by the Department of Trade and Industry. There are a lot of products that are being brought in, so we need to make sure that this one passes the test. And we also need to protect the manufacturing and the businesses in our country, so we are really enforcing and monitoring in this department.
And of course, the last is the MSME development. MSME development is a sector that we cannot ignore, why? It’s 99.5% of the business sector and 60% of the workforce. So, we must drive this sector so we can level up our GDP and we can also level up the economy of our country.
I stand before you today to share the vision of the Department of Trade and Industry for the future of the Philippine industries on the global stage. Our topic elevating the Filipino brand to the world. Strategies for global recognition and success is not just a goal, but a call to action.
It is a collective effort to showcase the ingenuity, creativity, and the world class Filipino products and services. The foundation of this vision is firmly rooted in the Tatak Pinoy Proudly Filipino Act, RA number 11981, a landmark legislation designed to strengthen the Philippine industries. This act is a testament to our commitment to position the Philippines as a hub for high quality and globally competitive products and services.
I’ve been traveling lately and even I’ve been to Davos and there’s really a lot of positive response to our country. There’s a lot of foreign investors that already want to come in and we’re actually facilitating them and there’s also a lot of FTA that we are actually preparing to pass also and preparing to really get things done hopefully before the end of the term of President BBM.
The five pillars of the Tatak Pinoy Proudly Filipino strategy, human resources, infrastructure, technology and innovation, investments, and sound financial management. By supporting the local enterprise, this act aims to increase export, attract investments, and enhance the Philippines position in the global value chain.
When we go abroad now, we actually do the large investments and we also do the SME export. There are many companies abroad that actually buy the products of the SMEs because there are a lot of SMEs abroad so they cannot also buy the quantity that’s given by the large enterprises. For all the SMEs here, if you’re interested to export, please call me or you can email me or you can message me or you can visit me in my office and I’ll be very happy to assist you.
We are not simply building businesses; we are building a brand. A brand that represents the heart and soul of the Filipino people. The Tatak Pinoy Proudly Filipino is a mark of excellence, a guarantee of quality, and a symbol of our dedication to global competitiveness. We must put Tatak Pinoy into action.
I urge you all to join us in this endeavor. Let us work together to elevate the Filipino brand, to make the Tatak Pinoy a symbol of global excellence, and to showcase the very best of what the Philippines has to offer.
This is a whole-of-government approach under the Marcos Jr. administration. The best time to invest in Filipino ingenuity is now. The Philippines is ready, its industries are capable, and its people are driven.
Together we will make the Tatak Pinoy Proudly Filipino a powerful global brand. One that reflects the strength, creativity, and the world-class talent of the Filipino people.
Thank you and Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas! ♦
Date of Release: 28 February 2025