MANILA – The sigining of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11981, also known as the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, marks a significant step towards enhancing the competitiveness and sophistication of Filipino products and services on the global stage, according to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Fred Pascual.
In his speech during the signing of the Tatak Pinoy (TP) Act, SecretarPascual said that he is positive about the implementation of RA 11981 and hopes that through this law, current challenges will be addressed, as well as improve on the productivity and competitiveness of Philippine industries in the global market.
“We aspire to produce higher quality products and services and integrate them into the global value chain,” Pascual stated.
According to the DTI, the recently signed IRR will provide a “comprehensive framework to effectively implement the TP Act and to elevate Filipino excellence to new heights.”
“Set to take effect 15 days after publication, the IRR of the Tatak Pinoy Act primarily aims to achieve diversification and innovation, investment promotion, strategic alignment, and technology adoption,” DTI added.
The IRR also aims to clarify key terms and interventions enshrined in the law and to enable the Tatak Pinoy Council to issue the necessary granting of designation of private sector members and providing resource persons to attend council meetings, among others.
The IRR also aims to provide clear guidelines on the roles and responsibilities of government agencies and industry partners for working groups of each of the pillars, such as human resources, infrastructure, technology and innovation, investments and sound financial judgement.
Meanwhile, DTI Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba emphasized the significance of establishing the Center for AI Research (CAIR) and the Industry 4.0 Pilot Factory (I4PF) to support the implementation of the IRR.
“This strategic move is poised to position the Philippines in the innovation landscape amidst unprecedented technological breakthroughs, particularly artificial intelligence (AI),” Aldaba said.
The CAIR and I4PF are designed to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies among the country’s enterprises. These facilities target to accelerate technology adoption among businesses, foster collaboration between government, industry, and academia, and improve the workforce’s skills.
The drafting of the TP Act IRR was led by the DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (DTI-CIG) under the leadership of Undersecretary Aldaba and Assistant Secretary Leonila T. Baluyut, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development-Regulatory Reform Support Program for National Development (USAID-RESPOND) as technical consultant, with comments, suggestions, and inputs from Tatak Pinoy stakeholders from both public and private sectors as integral in shaping the formulation of the IRR, DTI mentioned.
The DTI also confirms that the drafting process included four focus group discussions and two public consultations organized by the DTI-Bureau of Policy Research “to ensure the policy is holistic and conducive to address the needs of the domestic enterprises and potential investors.”
