YES, the government should patronize Filipino inventions. And not only that, it should set the example by taking the lead in buying the products that are the results of these inventions, so that the private sector could follow suit.
Somehow, the government should find a way to reconcile its own policy decisions with its own procurement actions. For example, the government issued a policy that mandated the consolidation of jeepney operations, but it did not make a policy that would require the buyers of new jeepneys to patronize the Philippine made vehicles. As a result, most of the sales probably went to the dealers of China made vehicles.
Some might argue that the Chinese models are cheaper, but then, some Filipino makers like Francisco Motors are saying that their prices are even lower. I think that the government should come up with a policy that for as long as the Filipino inventions are approved or accredited by an authorized agency such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), then the entire government could already start buying it.
As a matter of fact, all government agencies could dispense with public bidding if the Filipino products are unique and proprietary, meaning that it has no competitors in the local market. As an initial step, perhaps all local inventions should be vetted first by anyone of the local associations of inventors.
It would also be good if these associations could unite, so that they can have one solid voice.
ARE PH MONEY BILLS USING ABACA OR NOT?
Gemini AI (formerly Bard AI) says that Philippine money bills (bank notes) are using abaca fabrics, but the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) website does not say that it does.
Either the BSP is not saying it directly, or the information might be hidden somewhere in the website that I could not find.
What it says in the website is that the 1,000-peso bank notes are using a material called polymer. To be precise, Gemini AI says that “contrary to popular belief, Philippine peso bills are not made purely from synthetic materials”, and it further says that “in fact, they are primarily composed of abaca”.
If that is so, why does the BSP not say so directly in their website? Why did they talk more about the features of polymer more than the features of abaca?
Although I agree with the claim of the BSP that the bank notes made with polymer are cleaner and are more cost effective in the long run, I am very much concerned that the BSP might have set aside the objective of using and promoting our own native abaca fabrics.
As a matter of fact, it would be ironic if other countries would continue to use abaca, and we are not.
Although the BSP might have failed to elucidate on the real composition of the materials that they used, I am still hoping that Gemini AI would be correct in what it said, that the material used is primarily abaca, and therefore polymer is only a secondary material.
Would someone from the BSP come forward to clarify this matter?
