Why not label products ‘Made in Mandaue’?

Furniture and accessories made in Mandaue City are among the products displayed during the Expo Mandaue held during the APEC leaders meeting in Manila.

The Mandaue city government would like to require industrial and manufacturing companies in Mandaue City to attach the label “Made in Mandaue, Philippines” in their finished products.

The proposal is part of a draft ordinance that was passed on first reading by the City Council last week.

The success of the Expo Mandaue 2015, which showcased products made in Mandaue in Manila upon invitation of APEC organizers prompted City Councilor Diosdado Suico to sponsor the ordinance.

“Expo Mandaue has magnificently brought to the knowledge of other countries what handmade treasures Mandaue is humbly recognized and appreciated for,” Suico said.

He said attaching the mark to finished products for sale in domestic and foreign market outlets is a way to safeguard the products from being imitated and also to protect the rights and interest of the buyers.

The mark, he said, will assure them that they are buying high-quality products.

The proposed ordinance carries a fine of P500 for every product released without the required mark.

As proposed, the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be given the authority to monitor compliance of member companies or establishments.

Sought for comment, businessman Clayton Tugonon, MCCCI director, welcomed the suggestion.

“(We will) have no problem (with that ordinance) as long as  there is a body that checks on the quality of every product line,” he said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.

He said that the proposed ordinance should also include strict controls in giving the mark to prevent imitations.

“There must also be a strict control on who is giving the mark to avoid abuse. People from other places might use it,” he said.