Buy Pinoy: My Story

Six months ago, while getting into the shower, I realized that almost all of the bath products I used were made in other countries—from my shampoo, conditioner and soap, even to my toothbrush and dental floss. I was surprised because, as a child, I had been raised to Buy Pinoy—buy locally-produced products to support local industry—yet here I was, with 90% of my bath products made elsewhere. Coincidentally, I had recently taken an online test that mapped out my carbon footprint as an individual—measuring the amount of carbon emissions that my kind of lifestyle generates. In the process, I learned that a tons of carbon emissions are generated each year by the importing process—and that amount keeps growing as the demand for imported good rise. After that realization, I started paying close attention to the labels of the products that I bought at the supermarket, taking note of where each product was made, making an effort to by locally-made products.

Paying attention to the labels of products then led me to pay more attention to the ingredients lists of these products. After encountering a whole host of names that I didn’t understand and wasn’t familiar with (Dimethicone, anyone?), I decided to educate myself about these ingredients—and what I learned surprised me. There are so many chemicals that go into commercially-produced shampoos, conditioners, even food products that are safe in small amounts, but not so safe in large amounts. Even though these chemicals are technically safe for human use, many of these chemicals end up going down our drains and into our sewers—and given the kind of sewage system we have in Metro Manila and in the rest of the country, these chemicals eventually end up in our groundwater, causing all kinds of chemical contamination.

Knowing all of these things was a deal-breaker for me—I felt very frustrated about my unconscious contribution to polluting the Philippines and the world (not to mention making multinational companies richer in the process), a negative contribution that I’ve made over the past 24 years of my life. It also made me start asking questions about whether there are any alternatives to the kinds of consumer products that I usually buy—alternatives that cause less pollution, are made locally from ingredients that are kinder to the environment, and generate sustainable development through providing training and jobs to my fellow Pinoys. I was skeptical at first—apart from organically-grown vegetables, I wasn’t sure if there were any other products that fit these criteria.
So, where did I start? Well, the internet, of course! And I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of products available—online and offline—that met all of these criteria. Little by little, I started buying products and trying them out, just to see if they could be viable alternatives. I also started seeking out alternative shops, cafes, and restaurants. The more I looked, the more alternatives I found!

Then it came to me—what if there are other people like me who are looking for products and services that are responsible alternatives to those provided by big companies (some of whom have unjust environmental or labor practices?). What if there were people who wanted to find out more about Philippine-made products, but didn’t know where to start? So I began thinking, what can I do?

The tipping point for me really was two things:

1. I received a Facebook invitation to join a Cause from a friend, and it led me to the website onetama.com. I don’t know anyone behind the website, but its message truly inspired me—that we Filipinos can make our country a better place, one tama (right action) at a time. And one of the actions listed there was: buy Pinoy (and encourage other to do so as well).
2. While taking a bath yesterday, I suddenly realized that, without any real effort/difficulty, all the bath products I use now are Pinoy-made—some even sustainably-made and socially-responsible. If it was easy for me to make the transition to Pinoy products, then maybe it could be easy for many others. People just need to know what options they have, and maybe I can help others know of these options.

And so, this blog was born!

What can you expect from me? You can look forward to updates 1-2x a week, featuring product reviews, news, information about products and “alternative” lifestyle options—and of course, stories of my efforts to buy Pinoy products.

Happy reading, and I hope to hear from you, too!

(Happy Easter, as well! )