Use local materials and companies

Most recently, President Marcos, Jr. has asked for construction companies involved in public infrastructure projects to use local materials, particularly cement and steel products. This is all well and good, especially for local manufacturers. He recently approved 194 projects, 123 of which were initiated under his administration while the rest were started under former president Duterte. The Marcos administration wants to continue the building of major infrastructure projects that will hopefully benefit the country.

With all the projects planned, can local manufacturers keep up production of these materials? Remember, China is one if not the major importer of whatever the country has to offer, with its massive infrastructure projects that never seem to end. I was told China mainly buys raw materials and then sells us the finished products. A popular saying comes to mind involving being cooked in our own fat.

That being said, it is up to the government to see that the practice is curbed or minimized to benefit the country first and foremost. The ball is in the manufacturer’s court. They have to keep up production to supply the needs of these infra projects when they commence and not fall short just when construction calls for it. Ambitious as this may sound, it is very much a welcome development.

I should also interject we should deal with construction companies with a high reputation for quality of work. I have been made aware of YouTube videos featuring the “Tofu Dreg” construction of Chinese infra projects. The videos show buildings collapsing while under construction, roads buckling and cracking for no reason, cement pillars disintegrating with your hands, tiles falling from completed buildings even whole building facades peeling like a banana. According to braver news outlets, these are due to a lack of funding brought about by graft and corruption. Money going into the pockets of some and not into the projects. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative resulted in a massive construction boom in China, but the results are mixed if not an utter failure. The country would do well to stay clear of these construction companies. I don’t even know why a blacklisted company would be tapped to build our projects in the first place. Thank goodness they no longer will.

We have our share of the best construction companies in the country. I for one would like to see these projects come to fruition, especially those involving railways. It is time to revive the country’s railways by building new lines and rehabilitating old ones.