BIZLINKS By Rey Gamboa
The Philippine Star 12/19/2005

The Botika ng Bayan (or Botika ng Barangay if located in a barangay and supported by its officials) needs more support from local governments and small businessmen if truly more affordable medicines will be made available to Filipinos nationwide.

Presently, to generate more interest, cooperation and support from the public including small drug store owners (who are more willing to sell cheap medicines than the big drug store chains), the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) in cooperation with the Small Business Guarantee and Financing Corp. opened a P30-billion loan facility for interested parties.

PITC chief Roberto "Obet" Pagdanganan says the lending program’s three- or five-year financing allows for friendlier terms and interest rates to owners and operators of both existing and start-up drug stores or botikas nationwide who wish to be an affiliated Botika ng Bayan outlet.

The minimum loanable amount is P200,000 and the maximum is P1.5 million. To qualify, applicants will need PITC endorsement and certification that they comply with the eligibility criteria.

Already, there is close to 1,000 small drugstores participating in the program to sell more affordable yet equally potent and effective medicines if compared to the branded versions of multinational drug firms.

Unlike big drug store chains, small drug stores or botikas are more effective retailers of cheap medicines since their presence extends all the way to the barangay level nationwide, which could not be said of their giant counterparts.

Drumming local support

Pagdanganan has been making the rounds of forums and urging barangay leaders, parish priests and leaders and even congressmen to help establish Botika na Bayan or Botika ng Barangays for their constituents.

A seasoned marketing executive prior to joining government service, Pagdanganan pointed out that with proper management of Botika ng Bayan outlets, investments could be self-sustaining and prove to be a lasting legacy to sponsoring officials and local executives.

Solons could appropriate a portion of their pork barrel to help set up a Botika outlet. The PITC provides all the needed technical and marketing support, and even makes sure that the venture becomes self-sustaining.

The Botika ng Bayan project is so much better than those sponsored ubiquitous waiting sheds and basketball courts. Local constituents would truly appreciate their congressmen with the establishment of a well-stocked Botika ng Bayan.

Legislative backing

In the House, Sen. Mar Roxas continues to push for the program to bring down prices of medicines and bolster the local pharmaceutical industry. He has filed a bill, for example, to allow local firms to manufacture medicines shortly after its patent expires. The bill, once approved, would also provide legal protection to government agencies and executives involved in parallel importation of cheaper medicines.

The Botika ng Bayan’s impact can go beyond more affordable drugs since it can likewise pave the way for the local manufacture of medicines that combat emerging diseases such as the avian influenza or bird flu.

Pagdanganan earlier stated that local pharmaceutical firms have the capability to manufacture Oseltamivir or Tamiflu since it has no local patent. Tamiflu is said to be the key defense against the outbreak of bird flu caused by the H5N1 virus.

Ingredients for the anti-bird flu medicines, Pagdanganan added, can be easily imported from India. Obviously, locally manufactured Tamiflu, sans the mammoth profits imposed by the multinational drug cartel, would cost less and would be made available to more people if and when bird flu cases hit our shores.

Executive commitment

In the executive branch of government, easily one of the lesser known but results-oriented government agencies committed to bringing down the cost of medicines is the PITC, now designated as the lead agency of the Botika ng Bayan program.

Four years after its establishment, PITC was given a broader mandate in 1977 to be a prime mover in the expansion of Philippine trade worldwide. It has since embarked on various innovative trading activities and has implemented facilitative trade-related services.

Last year, it was tasked with helping implement the government’s various major programs, specifically the lowering of the prices of essential medicines by 50 percent in the coming years.

Entities interested in the Botika ng Bayan program may visit the PITC head office at the NDC Building, 116 Tordesillas Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City, where a Botika ng Bayan outlet is also located.

Only and only when there is at least one Botika ng Bayan established in every barangay will more affordable drugs be made available to our struggling countrymen. Perhaps, if this evolves into a truly mass revolution, multinational drug firms will humble themselves and bring down their prices.