Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 23) – A bill seeking to boost the local production of personal protective equipment for frontliners and provide tax exemptions for local manufacturers was filed on Thursday at the Senate.
Senator Imee Marcos filed Senate Bill 1708, or the “Healthcare Manufacturing and Pandemic Protection Act,” which aims to lessen the country’s dependence on foreign-made medical supplies, especially PPEs.
The bill proposes that local manufacturers of PPEs be exempted from paying import duties on raw materials and equipment, value-added taxes, and other fees imposed by the Bureau of Customs and Food and Drug Administration.
The bill also provides that export manufacturers will still receive incentives even if most of the produced medical supplies will go to the Department of Health and private hospitals.
The Department of Trade and Industry and a group of garment exporters have committed to produce 300,000 PPE every month. Marcos said, adding that this can be expanded with the filed bill.
