LEGAZPI CITY (May 22, 2012) – Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda renewed his call to step-up the boycott of “China made products” as a way of sending a strong message that the Filipinos must stand united against foreign threats to the nation’s sovereign territory and dignity.
Salceda said, “since June last year, I have never stopped to boycott China made products because the Chinese government can never be trusted,” the Governor said.
He said that after trespassing into the country’s territory, China is once more bullying us by rejecting outright, Philippine export products, particularly bananas, because they were allegedly pest- contaminated.
In Salceda’s call to boycott China products, he said, “we are boycotting products whose 51% of cost structure is derived from China,” The Governor being an economist added that the Philippines is a dumping ground for China’s cheap and inferior products.
Citing economic indicators, he claimed that in 2010 the country imported $ 7-Billion worth of products from China and exported about $ 6-Billion dollars, incurring a trade deficit of about $ 900-Million.
In 2011, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) recorded $12-Billion dollars in total Phil.-China trade, but data from the General administration of Customs of China placed the figure at $32.25-Billion dollars.
Since there is no incentive to understate exports which is non-taxable, the bulk of the trade underreporting must be in imports, Salceda explained.
He also cited that China export products are inferior in quality, while most Philippine export to China are hightly “tradable commodities” like minerals and fruit products, which can be sold in the world market at demand prices.
The Governor admitted, that his boycott movement is no match to Chinese military and economic might, “but it will draw global attention as the loss of international goodwill will make China's expansionist strategy very costly,” Salceda said. (SONNY SALES)