A WEEK before last Saturday’s Earth Day was an international observance not given much attention in our country – World Consumer Rights Day on March 15.
We are all consumers, and we have rights to be protected. We have eight basic rights. These, as articulated by global consumer movement, include the right to the satisfaction of basic needs, the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to be heard, the right to consumer education, the right to a healthy environment, and the right to redress. Yes, if you have ever purchased something and needed to return it, you have exercised your consumer’s rights. These rights have not always been something easily defined or enforced. The World Consumer Rights Day aims to bring awareness to these rights.
World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by US President John F. Kennedy, who sent a special message to the US Congress on March 15, 1962 in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader to do so. The consumer movement first marked that date in 1983 and now uses the day every year to mobilize action on important issues and campaigns.
Allow us to zero in on the right to a healthy environment. We as consumers have the right to clean air, safe water, renewable energy sources, and waste-free, toxic-free ecosystems. We hope that our legislators will strengthen the Consumer Act of the Philippines, as well as localize the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP).
In December 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the revised UNGCP which, among other things, acknowledged “access to essential goods and services, and the protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers as new consumer legitimate needs.”
According to Consumers International, “adequate consumer protection can directly support the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals relating to ending hunger and improving nutrition by supporting access to safe, affordable and healthy diets; to health and well-being by protecting consumers from unsafe products that cause illness or injury, and expanding access to effective pharmaceuticals.”
Stronger consumer protection laws will prevent market abuse, ensure fair play and justice, and safeguard public health and the environment. Yes, our voices as consumers must never be silenced. Let us raise ours voices and let these be heard.
