Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Agriculture (DA) to implement practical measures to strengthen consumer protection laws.
He made the appeal during the December 17, 2024 hearing of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship to address the proliferation of scams, fake products, and unfair trade practices.
As chair of the committee which is reviewing proposed amendments to the Consumer Act of the Philippines and Price Act, Cayetano highlighted the need for more effective measures to protect the public and restore consumer confidence.
“More than 30 years na rin pala [since the Consumer Act and Price Act were enacted into law]. [Outdated na kasi] noong 1992, halos wala pa ring e-commerce noon,” the senator said.
After discussing the prevalence of fake and scam products violating consumer laws, Cayetano outlined practical steps the DTI and DA could take against modern, unfair, and deceptive practices.
First, he suggested involving the media in enforcement raids to set an example for violators and emphasize that no one is exempt from the law.
“Kapag may raid kayo, magsama kayo ng media. Develop your in-house vlogger para nakikita ng tao na nanghuhuli kayo,” he said.
“Sampolan nang sampolan para maging aware ang ating wholesalers and retailers. There will be less excuses kasi nakita na walang exemption iyan,” he added.
Another safeguard Cayetano emphasized is amending the law to impose the right penalties with quick convictions.
“The science behind criminology is the certainty of being caught; that’s key. So for example, kapag may death penalty tayo pero wala namang nahuhuli, kumpara sa isang linggong kulong pero nahuhuli lahat, mas takot ang tao sa isang linggong kulong,” he said.
Currently, penalties in the Consumer Act for deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable sales acts or practices result in a fine of P5,000 to P10,000 and/or five months to one year in prison.
In addition, Cayetano called for more practical coordination between agencies to prevent unscrupulous activities from spreading.
He cited Singapore and Hong Kong’s anti scam centers which house representatives from the police, telecommunication companies, and banks in a single building to tackle fraud.
“Sa Singapore at Hong Kong, kapag complain mo, hindi ka lang agad pupuntahan ng pulis, isa-stop din agad ang payment. It’s done in a few hours,” he said.
“They also got the banks, police, and telcos in one room, at sila na nag-uusap kung ano pwede o hindi. I don’t know ano ang version natin, but I do know na napakagagaling ng barangay officials, LGUs, and police natin when they coordinate as one,” he added.
Cayetano stressed the importance of addressing these issues in the Senate, calling for comprehensive action against scams, fake products, and unfair trade practices.
“It’s important that we use the Senate floor na may consequences ang unfair practices na ito. This isn’t a cure-all, but let’s try to address these problems comprehensively because all of these are problems of our consumers,” he said.
