THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is gearing up for a severe shortage of masks if the new normal would require Filipinos to wear masks beyond the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez estimates the country would require 600 million masks per month once people start moving more freely.
Lopez said the country now just produces 20 million masks per month, which is equivalent to just 3 percent of the estimated demand.
Government is importing, and accepting, masks from all sources.
Lopez said the DTI will continue to encourage manufacturers to produce medical products such as masks which would now be part of the country’s basic necessities even after the lifting of the ECQ.
Lopez said incentives are available to these companies, citing Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 20-02, series of 2020 issued on April 1, 2020 with the Department of Finance liberalizing the grant of incentives for the manufacture and importation of critical equipment or supplies to ensure the availability of essential goods and require businesses to prioritize contracts, subject to fair and reasonable terms, for materials and services needed by the government in its campaign against the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The importation of these goods shall be exempt from import duties, taxes, and other fees.
The JMC covers the production and manufacture of medicines identified critical by the Department of Health, medical equipment and devices, personal protective equipment, surgical equipment and supplies, as well as laboratory equipment and its reagents.
The country’s sole mask producer, MedTecs had assured an allocation of 10 million masks per month for the Philippines while Taiwan’s New Kinpo Group (NKG) through subsidiary Cal-Comp Philippines to produce medical-grade face masks and ventilators solely for the Philippine market in light of the current COVID-19 crisis
NKG is one of 10 companies that had repurposed their factories for the manufacture of medical equipment.
NKG is repurposing some of their facilities in Batangas and Laguna to produce 1,000 ventilators and 2.5 million medical-grade face masks every month.
Two members of the Confederation of Wearables meanwhile have also started shifting their garments line manufacturing to the production of personal protective equipment (PPE). The two exporters have committed to produce 10,000 PPEs per month.
