APRIL 13 last week marked the 26th year the Consumer Act RA 7394 of the Philippines was signed into law. And since the law’s passage in 1992, comprehensive guidelines have been laid down in order to promote and protect consumer rights namely — the right to basic needs, the right to safety, the right to information, among others.
Consumer protection is safeguarded by our own fundamental Charter or Constitution. Article 16, Section 9 states that, “The State shall protect consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard or hazardous products.”
This protection is particularly applicable as there’s a trend among Filipinos — especially the youth — preferring local brands. In fact, in 2012, global research organization Teens Research Unlimited found out that consumers prefer homegrown brands over foreign labels. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see organized bazaars and trade fairs where local products occupy the spotlight.
Our government watchdogs should aggressively act to protect Filipino consumers. We have heard of sad stories of business firms ripping off Filipino consumers through shoddy products, poor workmanship, misbranded products, and products with toxic or harmful materials. NGOs like EcoWaste Coalition have been warning the public of toys from stores that have toxic elements such as lead (which can lead to brain damage) and antimony (a known carcinogenic) and cadmium (which can damage the lungs).
Another rip-off is the “nakaw load” in which cellular load seemingly disappears without cause. Even the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) admits that there are so-called value-added service (VAS) providers that consume the prepaid load of users without prior notice or receipt of transaction from these providers. And while service providers have imposed stricter guidelines, many still claim to have experienced loss of prepaid load with no apparent reason.
With e-commerce becoming pervasive, the bureaucracy’s role should be proactive, no longer passive. It’s critical to review the Consumer Act of the Philippines as well as the E-Commerce Act so as to adapt them to the changing trends of the consumer market.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has pushed for amendments to the Consumer Act specifically regarding online transactions. And while they have issued E-Consumer Protection Guidelines to address this issue, they should look into other countries who have established successful safeguards and make them the model for best practices. (Email: angara.ed@gmail.com | Facebook & Twitter: @edangara)/PN
