THERE is supposed to be a law that requires manufacturers and importers to place distributor information in all their retail packaging, but it seems that too many companies are getting away with not doing it, and as a result, it looks like there is a free-for-all out there in the retail markets, where anybody could just sell anything, and the consumers would not have a way of knowing where to go and what to do if they have some complaints.
The way it looks now, it seems that nobody really knows and nobody really cares whether these laws are being enforced or not.
I do care however, and I am sure there are thousands if not millions of other consumers who would care, if only they would know what to do and where to go, in case that they have complaints.
I am also sure that there are many who care to know the country of origin of the retail products, and of course they would want to know which products are locally made in case they want to patronize our own local products.
Of course, they also want to know whether these products are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but that information is not always available. And by the way, this lack of enforcement could also make it easy for both smugglers and fakers to bring their goods into the retail markets without detection.
And so, who is responsible for solving this problem? Is it the Bureau of Customs? Or the Department f Trade and Industry? I think that the retailers should also do something.
BETTER FRONTLINE SERVICES
When I designed the original concept for the 8888 system, I envisioned it to be a 24×7 customer relations management (CRM) service not only for the Office of the President (OP), but also for the entire executive branch of the government.
As a CRM service, I envisioned 8888 to function like a one-stop-shop, wherein anyone could be able to contact the government, at any time, from anywhere, using any device.
To cut a long story short, my concept was implemented during the previous term, but my design was not completed in its entirety. As a result, the government does not have a system now that enables anyone to contact them at any time, from anywhere, using any device.
To be fair, the existing 8888 system may be contacted via email, via text and via phone calls, but the texting system rejects texts that are less than 200 characters.
There are also not enough phone lines and phone operators who could process the high volume of calls. In my original design, text messages could be received from 1 up to 160 characters, and we had planned about 200 phone operators with sufficient lines.
Because of my desire to develop a system that could supplement 8888, I developed the Citizen’s Automated Response and Listing Organization (CARLO), a web-based and browser-based system that would enable any citizen to ask questions, express opinions, submit requests, ask for assistance and answer surveys, and it works 24×7./ PN
