go local! go indie!

[idaisda]

ever wonder why there's such a wide gap between the rich and the poor in our country? the answer is quite obvious for some - the domination of multi-million/multi-national corporations running our lives and hogging all the economic wealth most likely by questionable means. it all seems unfair and we can either blame "them" or find a way to do

Comments

[idaisda]

its a start. its an ideal. it may not seem practical but in the long run it could lead to greater things. maybe not for the business minded but perhaps for our national identity. it doesn't hurt to have a little pride (as i understand yabang is a loose translation of pride in tagalog)

"the only product that they can offer at this point is a Php50 abaca band. This is not a product that I need or especially care about."

---> do you think the livestrong campaign is not worth supporting just cuz all they sell are yellow rubber bracelets? yes, cancer is a serious illness. but so is a lack of national pride in our country. the abaca band may seem flimsy and useless to you. but yabang pinoy isnt a business geared towards selling as many abaca bands to a certain market. its a movement that supports local made products and local run businesses and wants to inspire filipinos to start their own instead of relying on foreign companies/products. in fact, the organizers have started their own businesses that are offering quite useful products such as "Kape ni Juan" - local made coffee for the caffeine inclined, "Monster Guy" - hi nutrition snack bars for athletes and "Monster Girl" - a sports apparel line for people who want to keep fit. and the movement has also started an environmental campaign to educate children about the abundance of flora and fauna in our country to teach them at a young age how beautiful our country is. Isn’t that something to be proud about? Isn’t it worthwhile and “useful”? no you can't see all this from an abaca band, but it is a part of what that band represents.

"Does Yabang Pinoy really think that Filipinos care whether the products they buy are local or not?"

---> this is exactly why the campaign exists. there needs to be some changes in mindsets. not every filipino has the luxury of chosing, but there are some who can. and even if they can influence just these few people to be more conscious of their economic choices, then at least they've made some positive change in a little way.

its worth a shot. time to try something new and take a risk. theres not much to lose in being supportive of something trying to promote national pride. and i think its quite a noble attempt.

[asthenos]

I'm not in any way questioning the nobility of the project, or the potential efficacy of taking things one small step at a time. But I certainly have reservations about the project, especially since all I have to go on is the information they have on their Web site, which doesn't include any of the products you mentioned. I want to see what the abaca band represents.

If the movement wants to set up viable, sustainable companies producing local products exclusively, the organizers need to offer something more compelling than appeals to national pride, because, generally speaking, Filipinos aren't, for lack of a better term, conceptual consumers.

With regard to the use of "yabang", the word usually connotes arrogance, so it's not one I'm comfortable with.