Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. 9613
Introduced by Representative Richard I. Gomez, DPA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The economy of the Philippines stands at a crossroad that manifested as a result of various 
factors; namely, the global and local socio-economic adjustments in the post-pandemic world, and the 
unprecedented launching of the world’s largest free trade zone. The Regional Comprehensive Economic 
Partnership (RCEP) Agreement includes all ten (10) member countries of the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely, the Philippines, Brunei Darrusalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, 
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and five (5) non-ASEAN countries, Australia, 
China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. This represents tremendous opportunity for our country to re-draw 
its economic structure that adds significant emphasis on manufacturing and exports.  
For us to take advantage of this opportunity, we need more than our current status quo plans, 
operations, products, skills and resources for manufacturing and exports. In fact, we need to go back to 
the drawing board and examine what Filipino products we can develop and promote, so that we can raise 
our economic complexity. It is time for us to develop high-value and complex products that take 
advantage of Filipino innate talents, using Filipino materials, homegrown technologies and innovations to 
introduce uniquely Filipino products to the world. It is time to realize what the Filipino people are really 
capable of making and producing.  
This vision is, by no means, a small feat. In fact, this requires a whole-of-nation approach that 
brings together various agencies of the National Government to coordinate and work together to achieve 
this end.  This bill proposes the creation and implementation of the “Tatak Pinoy” strategy and the 
establishment of the “Tatak Pinoy” Council to spearhead our drive towards raising the global 
competitiveness of Filipino exports. “Tatak Pinoy” will also endeavor to develop a deep sense of national 
November 23, 2023
11:52 am


pride in our skills and creations. It shall serve as a beacon for consumers to support products that embody 
excellence that is inherent in Filipino craftsmanship. 
This strategy is poised to spotlight the extensive array of offerings from the Philippines while 
concurrently enhancing their refinement and caliber. By doing so, it empowers local enterprises to 
produce goods and services that not only excel within the domestic market but also stand strong in the 
international arena. Through the establishment of a distinctive "Tatak Pinoy" brand, the Philippines can 
redefine its economic landscape, catalyzing the nation’s growth in the post-pandemic world. 
This Act lays the groundwork for a comprehensive and multi-year "Tatak Pinoy" strategy, 
underpinned by five critical pillars: (a) manpower, (b) infrastructure, (c) technology and innovation, (d) 
investments, and (e) public fiscal management and government procurement. Each of these pillars is 
designed to address specific facets that are pivotal to the advancement and diversification of local 
enterprises. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
RICHARD I. GOMEZ, DPA 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. 9613 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Representative Richard I. Gomez, DPA 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT MANDATING THE FORMULATION, FINANCING, IMPLEMENTATION, 
MONITORING, AND EVALUATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE AND MULTI-YEAR "TATAK 
PINOY" (PROUDLY FILIPINO) STRATEGY, ESTABLISHING A TATAK PINOY COUNCIL, 
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) 
Act.” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State to encourage, 
support, and promote the production and offering of Philippine-made products, goods, and services of 
increasing diversity, sophistication, and quality by local enterprises that are globally competitive. 
Pursuant to Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution emphasizing the promotion of "industrialization and 
full employment based on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform, through industries that 
make full and efficient use of human and natural resources, and which are competitive in both domestic 
and foreign markets," the State hereby adopts the following policies: 
(a) In collaboration with the private sector, the State shall endeavor to transform the Philippine
economy to such degree that local enterprises produce and offer more sophisticated products, goods, and 
services that are not ubiquitous, widely manufactured, or commonly available across the world; 


 
 
(b)  The State shall encourage the continuous improvement, expansion, and diversification of the 
productive capabilities of local enterprises and their linkages with domestic, regional, and global value 
chains;  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(c)  The State shall ensure that its initiatives to support local enterprises are market-driven or are 
in anticipation of future market demand; 
 
 
(d)  The State shall identify business sectors, market segments, and product opportunities for local 
enterprises to target and gain comparative advantage in. Towards this end, the State shall employ 
scientifically rigorous methods including, but not limited to, analysis of the country's product space, and 
of rankings in economic complexity indices; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(e)  To elicit pride for Philippine-made products, goods, and services, the State shall encourage 
and promote the skill, ingenuity, creativity, and innovativeness of Filipino workers, craftsmen, laborers, 
and professionals; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(f)  The State shall support local enterprises through its regular functions, such as, but not limited 
to, the procurement of products, goods, and services manufactured or offered by local stakeholders. 
Towards this end, all government agencies and instrumentalities shall formulate metrics on how, within 
their respective spheres, they can help support local Philippine-made products, goods, and services; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(g)  The State recognizes the complementary roles of the public and private sector, including the 
academe and civil society, in generating high-paying jobs; pursuing economic development; and co-
creating solutions to the country's biggest challenges. As such, the State shall actively seek out close 
partnerships with the private sector, and endeavor to jointly develop, finance, implement, and 
continuously improve a nationwide strategy for supporting local enterprises; 
 
 
(h)  The State recognizes the crucial role scientific and technological innovation plays in 
economic growth and development. As such, the State shall implement plans, programs, and projects that 
continuously improve the country's education system; ensure better technology transfer among firms, the 
academe, and government institutions; and, encourage the generation and sharing of new scientific and 
technological knowledge through research and development (R&D); and, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(i)  In pursuit of inclusive economic growth and development, the State shall ensure that public 
expenditures to support local enterprises are equitably spread across the country, particularly among 
fourth, fifth, and sixth class provinces and municipalities, and directed to disadvantaged sectors such as, 
but not limited to, the urban poor, subsistence farmers and fisherfolk, indigenous communities and micro, 
small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act,: 
 
 
(a) Economic complexity refers to the economic measurement which is calculated based on the 


diversity of products, goods, and services a country produces and their ubiquity, or the number of the 
countries able to produce them (and those countries' complexity); 
 
 
(b) Infant industries refer to that early stages, where experience relative difficulty in competing 
with established competitors abroad and/or less productive than global benchmarks or best practices; 
 
 
(c) Product space refers to a type of visualization that depicts the connectedness between 
products based on the similarities of the know-how required to produce them. The product space 
visualizes the paths that countries can diversify. Products are linked by their proximity to each other, 
based on the probability of co-export of both of the two products; 
 
 
(d) Sophisticated refers to the state when a product, good, or service requires a high level of 
technology, human capital, competencies or knowhow, and infrastructure to be produced or offered; 
 
 
(e) Sophistication refers to the level of technology, human capital, competencies or know-how, 
and infrastructure required for a product or service to be offered by an economy; 
 
 
(f) Structural Transformation refers to the process in which the composition and distribution of 
activities within an economy, as measured by such factors as output, employment, and trade, changes and 
shifts from low-productivity to high-productivity; 
 
 
(g) Technology Transfer refers to the process by which one party systematically transfers to 
another party the knowledge for the manufacture of a product, the application of a process, or rendering 
of a service, which may involve the transfer, assignment or licensing of Intellectual Property Rights 
(IPRs). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SEC. 4. Tatak Pinoy Strategy. — To achieve the objectives of this Act, a Tatak Pinoy Strategy 
(TPS) shall be formulated, financed, implemented, monitored, evaluated, and continuously improved 
upon by the Tatak Pinoy Council, hereinafter referred to as 'the Council' as prescribed by Section 10 of 
this Act. The TPS shall outline the plan for the country to incrementally and systematically expand and 
diversify the productive capabilities of local enterprises, and empower them to produce and offer 
increasingly diverse and sophisticated products, goods, and services, and compete in the global market. 
 
 
 
 
 
(a) Development and Coverage. - The development of the TPS shall coincide with that of the 
Philippine Development Plan (PDP) at the beginning of every Presidential administration. The TPS shall 
cover a period of at least six (6) years and shall provide for mid-term updates every three (3) years. 
 
 
 
 
(b) Identification of National Priorities and Strategic Goals. - As part of the development of 
the TPS, the country's national priorities and strategic goals shall be identified and consolidated through a 
consultative process that substantially involves both the public and private sectors. 
 
 
 
 
 
(c) Target Sectors and/or Economic Activities. - The TPS shall list sectors and/or economic 
activities, including but not limited to creative industries as defined by Republic Act No. 11904, 


otherwise known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act. The list shall include targets for 
the short-term (3 years), medium-term (6 to 9 years), and long-term (12 years and beyond). 
SEC. 5. Pillars of the Tatak Pinoy Strategy. — The TPS shall include plans and programs, and 
shall be organized according to the following pillars: (1) manpower; (2) infrastructure; (3) technology and 
innovation; (4) investments; and (5) public fiscal management and government procurement. 
The Council may establish technical clusters and working groups under each pillar to formulate 
objectives and targets, conduct the necessary stakeholder consultations, and ensure proper implementation 
of the TPS. Under each pillar, the TPS shall identify relevant public-private initiatives and the 
government support or assistance to be provided per targeted sector or economic activity. Each cluster 
shall be headed by a government agency, as determined by the Council, and include relevant private 
sector representatives.  
 
 
 
(a) Manpower - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in coordination with the 
Council, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), shall develop a National Upskilling 
and Manpower Competitiveness Agenda; Provided, further, That said agenda shall be a roadmap for 
ensuring that there is adequate and skilled manpower to realize the national priorities and strategic goals 
and support the target sectors and economic activities identified in the TPS; Provided, finally, That the 
Agenda shall include different modalities for training, skills development, upskilling, reskilling, and 
lifelong learning to be implemented by both public and private stakeholders; 
 
 
 
 
(b) Infrastructure - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in coordination 
with the Council and other relevant government instrumentalities such as, but not limited to, the 
Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of Finance (DOF), and the Department 
of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the 
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of 
Agriculture (DA), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Department 
of Education (DepEd), and the Department of National Defense (DND), shall lead in the formulation of a 
National Infrastructure Development Strategy: Provided, That the Strategy shall provide the basis for 
coordinating, integrating, and accelerating infrastructure development across the country to fulfill the 
national priorities and strategic goals and support the target sectors and economic activities identified in 
the TPS; 
(c) Technology and Innovation - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and its 
attached agencies, in coordination with the Council and other relevant government instrumentalities such 
as but not limited to the National Innovation Council (NIC), the Department of National Defense (DND), 
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), the Commission on 
Higher Education (CHED), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and private universities with reputable 
track record in scientific and technological research, shall ensure that the TPS is harmonized with the 
National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (NIASD), in accordance with Republic Act No. 
11293 otherwise known as "the Philippine Innovation Act"; 
 
 
 
 
 
(d) Investments - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in coordination with the Council 
and Investment Promotion Agencies shall formulate a Tatak Pinoy Strategic Investment Priority Plan, 


which shall at the minimum identify sectors and/or activities and set investment targets that will enable 
Philippine industries to transition to the production of diversified and sophisticated goods and services 
whether for domestic or foreign consumption. For this purpose, existing industry roadmaps may be used 
as reference. The DTI, through the Board of Investments, shall ensure that the identified sectors and/or 
activities shall be included in the Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP); 
 
 
(e) Public Fiscal Management and Government Procurement - The Development Budget 
Coordination Committee (DBCC) shall ensure that programs and projects that result in the enhancement 
of the capabilities of local enterprises to produce and offer increasingly sophisticated products, goods, and 
services shall be included in the expenditure priorities and the national government fiscal program. 
In government procurement activities, preference shall be given to domestically-produced and 
manufactured goods, supplies and materials which meet the specified or desired quality; Provided, 
further, That in order to claim preference, the DTI shall certify that such goods, supplies and materials are 
grown, produced or manufactured in the Philippines; Provided, finally, That domestic preference shall be 
applied in a manner consistent with the Philippine obligations under international agreements. 
 
 
 
SEC. 6. Planning Call. — The Council shall issue in a timely manner a Planning Call for the 
TPS to government agencies and relevant private sector stakeholders. Such Planning Call shall include 
the standards and guidelines for preparing the TPS. The Planning Call shall commence parallel to the 
formulation of the Philippine Development Plan by the National Economic and Development Authority 
(NEDA). National government agencies shall submit to the Council their respective plans and programs 
and report relevant issues and implementation gaps. 
 
SEC. 7. Harmonization of Plans. — The Council shall direct the government's planning cycle to 
ensure the harmonization and coherence of national, sectoral, and spatial plans and programs by 
prescribing standards, guidelines, compliance, and accountability mechanisms. The Council shall also 
review and approve the short-term, medium-term and long-term development plans submitted by the 
agencies as stipulated in Section 6 of this Act, in order to recommend appropriate action.  
 
 
 
SEC. 8. Automatic Review and Update. — The NEDA, in coordination with the Council, shall 
perform an annual review of the implementation of the TPS as provided under this Act, in accordance 
with the monitoring and evaluation policies and guidelines of the agency. To ensure responsiveness to 
market conditions, the TPS shall be subject to amendment or revision every three (3) years unless there 
are supervening events that require an earlier amendment or modification. 
 
 
 
 
 
SEC. 9. Reportorial Requirement. — All departments, agencies, government instrumentalities, 
and local government units (LGUs) mandated to implement the TPS shall submit a quarterly report to the 
Council. Such reports shall then be collated by the NEDA acting as Tatak Pinoy Council Secretariat, and 
then submitted to the Office of the President, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the Chairpersons of the Senate Committees on Finance and Trade and Industry and 
House Committees on Appropriations and Trade and Industry. 
 
 
 
 


SEC. 10. Tatak Pinoy Council. — There is hereby created a Tatak Pinoy Council, herein referred 
to as 'the Council,' which shall be led by a tripartite partnership between the Director General of the 
NEDA, as the Chairperson, and the Secretary of Trade and Industry and the Secretary of Finance, both as 
Vice-Chairpersons. The Secretaries of Agriculture, Budget and Management, Education, Information and 
Communications Technology, Labor and Employment, Public Works and Highways, Science and 
Technology, Tourism, the Director General of the TESDA, the Chairperson of the CHED, and two (2) 
private sector representatives will also serve as members: Provided, That the respective heads of agencies 
may designate their representatives whose rank shall not be less than an Undersecretary: Provided, 
further, That the private sector representatives shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines for a 
term of three (3) years, and may be reappointed only once from the nominees submitted by reputable 
business groups, academic institutions, or associations: Provided, finally, That the President shall have the 
power to reconstitute the public sector members of the Council in order to fully achieve the objectives of 
this Act. 
 
 
 
 
 
The Council shall serve as the policy and advisory body to the President and shall, adopting a 
whole-of-government approach, formulate policies and programs that will diversify the productive 
capabilities of local enterprises and increase the country's economic complexity. Towards this end, the 
Council shall have the following powers and functions:  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(a)  Formulate the multi-year Tatak Pinoy Strategy or TPS, in accordance with Sections 4 and 5 
of this Act; 
 
 
(b)  Ensure timely compliance of agencies with the Planning Call, as described in Section 6 of 
this Act; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(c)  Coordinate with national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs) to 
ensure that their respective development plans, policies, and programs, are harmonized towards 
promoting the diversification and sophistication of Philippine-made products, goods, and services offered 
by local enterprises, whether exported or consumed locally; 
 
 
(d)  Ensure that plans under the TPS are implemented well, and in accordance with the objectives 
of this Act; 
 
 
 
 
 
(e)  Audit existing policies, programs and projects of government and require the implementing 
agencies to submit reports on industry performance and provide policy recommendations to address 
industry gaps and other challenges; 
 
(f)  Monitor, evaluate, and periodically review and assess the TPS and its implementation thereof; 
 
 
(g)  Recommend policies, processes, including reengineering of systems and procedures, in order 
to attain diversification and sophistication of Philippine-made products, goods, and services; 
 
 
(h)  Propose legislation or amendments to Philippine laws and regulations related to industry 
development and promotion of the sophistication and diversification of Philippine-made products, goods, 
and services; 
 


 
(i)  Provide technical assistance and advisory opinions in the review of proposed national or local 
legislation, regulations, or procedures; and, 
 
 
(j)  Perform such other functions as may be necessary, or as may be directed by the President of 
the Philippines, for the attainment of the objectives of this Act. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SEC. 11. Technical and Secretariat Support. — The NEDA is hereby designated to provide 
overall technical and secretariat support for the Tatak Pinoy Council. As the principal secretariat, the 
NEDA shall have the following duties and responsibilities: 
(a)  Determine and prepare the agenda of the Council meetings, and prepare the minutes of each 
meeting; 
 
(b)  Serve as venue for the initial processing and discussion of the work of the Tatak Pinoy 
Council; 
 
(c)  Receive and prepare communications pertinent to the work of the Council; 
 
(d)  Manage and maintain the official records of the Council; 
 
(e)  Prepare the annual budget of the Council; 
 
(f)  Prepare reports as required by the Council; and 
 
 
 
 
(g)  Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Council. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At least one (1) representative each from the DTI, DOF, DA, DBM, DepEd, DICT, DOLE, 
DPWH, DOST, DOT, TESDA, and CHED shall be solely dedicated to serve as liaisons to the Council 
and provide technical and/or administrative support to the Tatak Pinoy Council Secretariat. 
 
 
SEC. 12. Information Dissemination and Awareness Campaign. — To ensure broad buy-in and 
acceptance, the Council, in coordination with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), shall ensure that 
the goals and objectives of the TPS are communicated through a nationwide information dissemination 
and awareness campaign. A parallel effort to communicate the TPS in an appropriate and effective 
manner to the rest of the world shall be undertaken. 
SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — A committee composed of one (1) 
representative each from the NEDA, the DOF, the DTI, the DBM, the DA, DepEd, DICT, DOLE, 
DPWH, DOST, DOT, the TESDA, the CHED, and two (2) private sector representatives shall, within 
sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, formulate and prescribe, after public hearing/s and 
publication, as required by law, the implementing rules and regulations including, among others, the 
criteria and guidelines for evaluation of bid proposals, list of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives and 
arrangements that the government may provide for projects, in order to carry out the provisions of this 
Act in the most expeditious manner. 
 
 
 
 
 
This committee shall be headed by the NEDA representative, as the Chairperson, with the DTI 
and DOF representatives serving as Vice-Chairpersons. The Committee may conduct, formulate, and 
prescribe after due public hearing/s and publication, amendments to the implementing rules and 
regulations, consistent with the provisions of this Act. 


The non-promulgation of the rules and regulations provided under this section shall not prevent 
the immediate implementation of this Act upon effectivity. 
 
 
 
 
 
SEC. 14. Appropriations. — The funds necessary to carry out the initial implementation of this 
Act shall be charged against available appropriations of the agencies concerned, subject to existing 
budgeting, accounting, and auditing laws, rules, and regulations. The appropriations necessary for the 
continued implementation of this Act in succeeding years shall be prepared in accordance with regular 
government budget procedures and shall be included in the budgets of the concerned NGAs under the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
 
 
SEC. 15. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, 
the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and regulations or parts thereof 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly. 
 
 
SEC. 17. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Approved,