SABANGAN, Mountain Province – Consumers have been told to intensify vigilance against unscrupulous entrepreneurs, especially online marketers, during the Negosyo Center launch on November 27, 2017, led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Cordillera Regional Office and Mountain Province Division Office.
Since social media has become a very common business platform nowadays, it was the prime topic tackled during the launch. DTI-CAR Representative Mimosa Regis said, “Consumers must be vigilant particularly on online businesses since there is no law yet to prohibit such marketing and no law enacted yet for protection of online buyers. Just as Mar Roxas said, ‘If it’s too good to be true, it might be a scam.”’
Moreover, she stressed that in line with the national government’s agenda of upholding consumer protection, DTI continues to impart consumer education to the public to make them well-informed consumers. Similarly, DTI through their website urged consumers to be critically aware about the price, usage, and quality of products.
Regis said DTI, in cooperation with the Philippine National Police, is regularly monitoring business establishments in the locality. She related that the agency destroys confirmed fake products, checks weighing scales, and discontinues the operation of fraudulent enterprises.
She also discussed consumer rights and protection wherein they have the rights to choose quality products, to be protected against market scammers, to express their concerns and interests, and to be assisted on consumer complaint filing. The DTI Consumer Protection Division reported no consumer complaints last year, but the DTI office is open to accommodate complaints.
Regis reiterated there are several areas where the general public can participate in instigating legal business transactions. For solicitation activities in communities, she emphasized barangay officials have the power to stop suspicious undertakings. She also stated consumers can check product mark stickers before buying. The ICC (Import Commodity Clearance) mark is for imported products, which must bear the latest commodity clearance sticker issued by the DTI, and the BPS (Bureau of Philippine Standards) sticker is for locally-marketed products, which had passed the inspection and test of the Philippine National Standards (PNS).
Moreover, one of the topics discussed during the Negosyo Center was the advantage of having such in the municipality.
DTI Division Office Representative Mabel Banggawan stated since it will provide government services closer to small businesses in the locality. This is in line with the government’s agenda of creating additional livelihoods for people. Through the center they give assistance to entrepreneurs on business necessities, and aid in creating business names which can be used for legal business transactions, such as giving out of receipts for consumers and submitting such to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). They also offer trainings on business identification, self-assessment, and entrepreneurial skills enhancement. Furthermore, they assist in making standard project proposals for financing.
She reiterated, however, that a business applicant must have conceptualized the business he will establish before asking assistance from the center.
After the overview of the DTI Negosyo Center, Mayor Venancio Lipawen, in his message, said that the municipality’s local government unit will support and help in the program implementation. He also cited the advantages of venturing in businesses since entrepreneurs work at their own paces and earns high profits. He humoured, saying, “I should have been a businessman if I had not been busy engaging in the political arena.”
The launch ended with the signing of a memorandum of agreement, witnessed by Sabangan Vice Mayor Dario Esden and DTI-CAR Representative Regis.
By Hermilita Lagmay
