CEBU, Philippines - To further boost the export sector in the country and the furniture industry in Cebu, Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano encouraged Filipinos to patronize their own products rather than buying imported furniture lines and urged workers to publicize their finished outputs through social networking sites for wider exposure.
Cayetano visited Cebu yesterday for a scheduled dialogue and listening tour with furniture factory workers and owners of Woven Furniture Designs at Tayud, Liloan.
Highlighting his main platform of Presyo, Trabaho, Kita (PiTiK) and reaching out to the grassroots level communities where most problems exist; he aims to promote the local export industry with the provision of incentives and subsidies for the sector.
Woven Furniture Designs production supervisor Elmer Rivera expressed his sentiments on the stability and sustainability of the local furniture sector.
“Last three years, furniture company nagkaubusan na. Paano kung wala ng order, ano na ang gagawin namin? Ma-susustain pa kaya ang furniture industry ng Cebu,†he said.
In the last three years, 570 furniture companies in Cebu went down to 160 factories and decreased their workforce from 100,000 employees to 80,000 workers.
With the closure of some furniture companies and no wage increase, workers admitted that they struggle with the inflation of prices for their basic commodities such as rice, fish and vegetables.
They expressed relief, though, that they currently enjoy benefits from Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and Social Security System and can do cash advance that is good for one month with their employer with no interest rate.
An employee at Woven Furniture Designs with a regular employment status earns a daily salary of P450 while those who work for wholesale orders only receive an everyday wage of P200.
Cayetano commended the class, uniqueness and style of the Filipino-designed furniture that is brought about the creativity of local designers and skilled workers.
He further described Cebu as the leader of the vibrant economy in the Visayas region aside from being known as the “furniture capital of the Philippines.â€
Amidst the strong peso appreciation and struggling international market, he cited that the sector could take advantage of the domestic market that covers real estate, condominiums, buildings, houses and hotels which are in need of furniture sets.
He pointed out, however, that most of the buyers such as foreigners and Overseas Filipino Workers don’t have the idea that the quality furniture are locally-made and are not imported ones.
“Magaganda ang furniture basta made in the Philippines pero nakikita natin sa mga malls, panay imported. Akala nila yung gawa dito ay imported. Once malaman nila na sa atin pala galing, magsisimulang uunlad ang bansa. Buksan natin ang konsepto na kung mahal mo ang Pilipinas, bilhin mo ang gawa ng Pinoy,†he stated.
He advised furniture owners and developers to promote their own products and improve the performance of the industry.
Cayetano also suggested employees themselves to advertise their finished outputs by taking photos of them and posting them in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, saying that they have to “generate our own publicity.â€
With Filipinos being interconnected nowadays, he believed that word-of-mouth and social media marketing aside from traditional advertising could help advertise the local brand.
“Huwag kayong mawalan ng pag-asa. Dapat tulungan at palakasing muli ang export industry ng Cebu. Malalakas at magagaling ang ating mga manggagawa,†he said.
He also said that the Department of Trade and Industry should also have the same campaign of the Department of Tourism that he dubbed as “It’s better if it’s made in the Philippines.â€
He added that the government has to impose policies and come up with strategies to make it easier for exporters to showcase their products in other countries aside from providing them with incentives and subsidies. (FREEMAN)