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Philippine furniture industry
MRW's FLORIDA chairs are perfect for combining with LONG BEACH
designs for Philippine furniture industry.
Our Philippine furniture industry are also very keenly
interested in targeting non-traditional markets , such as the
Middle East. Petro-dollars are enabling the Middle Easterners
to afford lavish homes that perfectly match the market that
the Philippines wants to cater to. In addition to the Middle
East, there are a lot of other prospects presented to the
Philippine furniture industry, like providing the furniture
for the new hotels that will be constructed in the Greece
Olympics to be held in 2004.
While the superior craftsmanship of Filipino artisans is
indisputable, many challenges beleaguer the Philippine
rattan furniture export. We are a superbly creative and ingenious
people. At the moment, we are facing very stiff competition
from countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China.
As early as 1998, Malaysia has recorded earnings of 1 billion
dollars while we only earned 382 millions dollars in the year
2000. The Philippine furniture industry with mixed media and exemplary
artistry in furniture-making can only take us so far.
The CF has been lobbying for some improvements to better the
status of the Cebu furniture distributor vis-à-vis our competitors.
The Chamber would like to have a Furniture Boulevard where it
will permanently house showrooms of the best furniture makers
in the country. With this infrastructure, it will not be
necessary for foreign buyers to individually visit our
Philippine furniture distributor. As things are now, they have to fly Manila then
travel to Pampanga or Cebu to see these suppliers when there
are no furniture shows in progress. This is a feature by which
Malaysia and Indonesia are able to facilitate the sales of
Philippine aluminum furniture.
"Just one non-performing asset of the
government can be assigned for this purpose. Its returns and
benefits will greatly impact on the economy." says Ms.
Bal.
Second, the CF is lobbying for the renewal of the Capital
Investment Act which enables Cebu furniture
industry to buy their capital
inputs without duties. The Philippine furniture
mnufacturer is just one of
the many industries that will benefit from the renewal of this
act. The Capital Investment Act expired in 1998. On top of the
10% VAT, there is a 3% tax imposed on machinery, materials and
tools used for production and manufacturing which hike up the
prices of Philippine furniture designs industry. Therefore, it makes it more difficult for
the Philippines to compete with our competitor countries that
enjoy tax incentives from their own governments.
Third, financing should be made more accessible to
furniture-makers. The Philippine wicker furniture industry is 90% composed of
small and medium enterprises. The CF receives feedback from
its members regarding difficulty in procuring financing. "They
ask for hard collateral when we open letters of credit. But
they often undervalue these collateral," says Ms. Bal.
Don't think that just because you find Cebu
furniture exporter
in restaurants and older homes that it can't be hip.
Everything can take an updated twist if you arrange it right.
Coupled with some colorful accents, Oriental style furniture
looks sleek and futuristic. If you live in smaller place, Philippine
rattan furniture industry
is ideal! It packs a lot of aesthetic impact into compact
pieces like chairs and buffet tables. Apartment living can
feel cramped but it just means that you need to select the
things you buy carefully to get the most out of the area you
have. Imagine a bright room with an artsy feeling. This is
easily achieved with a little imagination. Don't just pair the
classic Asian art with boring old furniture! Live on the wild
side; imagine tapestries with varying designs accented by one
or two pieces of Philippine furniture export industry.
You don't need an interior decorator and massive budget, just
your imagination!
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