PITC holds briefing on Botika ng Bayan

PHILIPPINE International Trade Corporation (PITC) Undersecretary Teddy Rivera lately held a seminar on Botika ng Bayan at JJ's Seafood Village. With big disparity, prices of medicines in the Philippines are much higher than those in India and Pakistan. Rivera blamed this disparity to a drug cartel. Executive Order 442 issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signifies a breakthrough fight against unreasonable high prices of medicines. EO 442 assigns P.I.T.C. as the lead agency tasked to acquire quality medicines which will be available, affordable and accessible to the great masses of our people.

One of the major strategies of the P.I.T.C. is through the Botika ng Bayan established nationwide. Botika ng Bayan would be the distributor of quality but low-priced drugs and medicines to its retail outlets called the BNB Express. The open forum focused on the mechanics on how to open Botika ng Bayan, the umbrella distributor, and the BNB express retail outlets. Botika ng Bayan retailers can operate with the minimum of P10,000 capital in order to help the small entrepreneurs start with such small capital. In a way, this compliments the “Poverty Alleviation Program” of President Arroyo.

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