Bautista, Joe. <br/><br/>
Report of meetings :   February 11, 1954 / 
Joe Bautista. 
 - page 3 
<br/><br/> The Rotary Balita no. 740 (February 25, 1954) 
<br/><br/> Regular consumer preference for Philippine-made products to encourage local production, as a means to lessen Filipino dependency on foreign goods, was urged by Secretary of Commerce and Industry Oscar Ledesma recently at the Rotary Club meeting on Feb. 11.  Ledesma deplored the lack of public interest in the "Made-in-the-Philippines" movement started after liberation. Unless we develop enough national pride to both advertised local-made goods and purchase them, he said, we would not go far in our efforts at reaching economic self-sufficiency.  He explained that due to increased importation from 1947 to 1949, the government was forced to impose trade controls in order to conserve our dwindling dollar reserves.  It was a necessary measure, Ledesma continued, and it proved beneficial. As a result, he said, local capitalists invested in the manufacture of goods which can compete with foreign products.  Ledesma gave a note of warning, however, that the country has not yet produced enough for us to say that we have reached a stage of industrialization.  "We should increase production," he said, "as well as improve distribution."