Marcos eyes prioritizing use of local building materials in infra projects

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has agreed to a recommendation of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Infrastructure Cluster for the government to give preference to using local building materials for its projects.

Marcos has already instructed the Department of Trade and Industry to coordinate with the PSAC to come up with a list of such materials, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

He also instructed the Department of Budget and Management, through the Government Procurement Police Board, to draft guidelines for implementing such a policy under current laws, rules, and regulations.

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Marcos said it would have to be clear how the policy would be implemented — “whether [through] an AO administrative order] or some other form.”

The PSAC assured Marcos that local manufacturers of construction materials “conform with the Philippine national standard designed to withstand the country’s climate and other natural disasters.”

“Our advocacy is to promote or buy local, Filipino-made products for Filipinos. It’s just fair for our government to take the lead, sir, in also patronizing our locally-made products,” Sabin Aboitiz, the PSAC head, said.