The Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has achieved zero backlogs and processed a total of 40,273 DTI permits, licenses, and accreditation applications in 2023.
FTEB also said it received a total of 28,824 consumer complaints in 2023, of which 42 percent were related to online transactions.
Of the total applications processed, 26,539 (66 percent) were sales promotion permits, 11,903 (30 percent) were certificates of authority to Import and accreditation, and 1,831 (4 percent) were Business licensing and accreditation-related licenses and certificates.
Meanwhile, 38,769 were applications from new business transactions while 1,504 were renewal applications.
The DTI attributed the efficient, effective, and client-friendly government processes to digitalization efforts particularly, the implementation of the Integrated Registration Information System or IRegIS.
Meanwhile, FTEB in a separate statement said of the complaints received last year, 8,937 (31 percent) were mediated and adjudicated, while 19,887 (69 percent) were endorsed to other concerned government agencies consistent with the “No Wrong Door” policy.
Most complaints involved deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable sales acts and practices, followed by complaints on products and services liability, and misleading or fraudulent sales promotion.
