Our struggle for survival

By Herbert Vego 

THE Philippine economy grew by 2.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, driven primarily by strong domestic household consumption and services, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The government’s economic growth target for this year is set at 5 to 6%, taking into account the heightened oil crisis.

This was the same target set for 2025 but the economy ultimately fell short, posting a 4.4% full-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

With that in mind, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday (May 25) launched the “Tatak Pinoy: Proudly Filipino Expo 2026” at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

“Tatak Pinoy” seal will be marked on local quality products that may be exported, announced DTI Secretary Cristina Roque.

The biggest crowd drawer at the fair is the stall serving Jollibee snacks. Jollibee is now a global Filipino brand with restaurants operating across North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Let’s hope “Tatak Pinoy” would not go the “ningas kugon” way of the “Proudly Philippine-made” campaign launched by the DTI during the Cory Aquino presidency.

Nobody can refute the argument that if we buy imports from China, Taiwan or Thailand, we help their laborers. If the employers of those countries opt to hire Filipinos, it’s to economize on payroll budget, thus enabling them to export their products at lower prices.

Be that as it may, Filipino workers abroad still earn better there than here where employment opportunities are scarce.

It’s not easy to convince the poor to be “patriotic” consumers. In buying products, they wrestle with the problem of affordability.

Nowhere is this necessity to make both ends meet more visible than in ukay-ukay outlets, where the price-conscious buy slightly-used “relief” clothes, shoes, and pants with fewer pesos.

It may look tantamount to empowering the disempowered peso at the expense of local ready-to-wear manufacturers closing shop.

Most of the ukay-ukays’ patrons-by-necessity are minimum-wage earners.

To survive, some local manufacturers of quality clothes tap the export market. Twice in two countries, I found that out for myself. While in Bangkok, Thailand, I bought an attractive polo shirt which turned out to be “made in the Philippines.”

The other time was in New York City during a meeting with my cousin Merla and her hubby Dods, both immigrants and US citizens.  They gifted me with a heavy-duty jacket branded “Cascades”. It was only after I had returned to the Philippines that I also noticed the “made in the Philippines” tag.

What the above instances prove is that there is foreign market for high-quality Philippine-made products.

Conversely, the colonial mentality here at home has forced local manufacturers – say, of Marikina-made shoes – to rebrand their products for export. This I learned from a former Marikina mayor, Marides Fernando during her visit in Iloilo City.

Indeed, while our craftsmen are capable of making quality products, most local manufacturers produce low-quality ones to gain the patronage of ordinary wage earners. That’s an example of sustainable productivity in the manufacturing sector.

As of recent 2022–2026 data gathered by IBON Foundation, the top 10% of Filipinos hold roughly Php40 trillion in wealth, which is nearly triple the net worth of the bottom 90% combined.

Most poor Filipino parents wallow in the mistaken notion that the more babies they make, the more they contribute to productivity. There was a time when farmers would want their children to take over farm work.

No longer, based on studies by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), which show that about 65% of rice farmers actively discourage their children from farming, preferring they pursue higher education to work in cities or abroad

If it’s any consolation, we have entrepreneurs skilled in exporting our natural resources. The Guimaras mango, for example, has found a huge export market in Australia. Dried ripe mangoes, done in Cebu, are available in duty-free airport shops everywhere.

It’s no good news though that we need to “export” labor as well due to lack of opportunities within the country.  Today, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), approximately 2.19 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) actively work abroad

Sas to say, their family’s survival at home depends on foreign remittances.