DTI seeks 5M masks, but no supplier yet

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry wants five million masks, but still can’t find a country willing to supply that many.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said he had ordered the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC), a DTI-attached agency, to source five million masks “to augment the local supply, especially the needs of the Department of Health and other health workers.”

The problem, however, is that PITC has been having difficulty looking for a country that will supply the face masks.

Lopez said they had so far asked India, Pakistan, the United States, and the European Union, but to no avail.—Roy Stephen C. Canivel