Alcohol producers and electronic commerce (e-commerce) platforms in the country reinforced their commitment to prevent alcohol from ending up in the hands of underaged drinkers.
A seminar co-organized by the Asia Pacific International Spirits & Wines Alliance (APISWA) and Alcoholic Beverages Alliance of the Philippines (ABAPI) on May 25 culminated in the signing of the ABAPI Responsible eCommerce Pledge and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
The localized ABAPI pledge is an offshoot of global efforts to create a safe and regulated online marketplace for alcohol products while the MOU between IP owners, brand owners and e-commerce players aims to strengthen the fight against the sale of counterfeit goods over the internet.
The IPOPHL also established the local guidelines among the online marketplaces to intensify the fight against the sale of counterfeit goods on the internet.
In a statement, APISWA chairman Sanjit Randhawa elaborated on the need for concerted efforts across sectors to combat harmful consumption of alcohol and curb the illicit alcohol trade, highlighting the renewed call on industry players to act now.
“Producers and retailers of the world’s leading alcohol brands across the world have committed to work in solidarity to protect minors from online alcohol sales and deliveries.
The re-launch of our pledge originally signed in 2020 is our way of showing the world that the Philippines continues to be in step towards the goal of creating a responsible e-retailing environment for alcohol,” said Randhawa.
“Improper sale and distribution of alcohol brings a wide range of negative impacts. It poses significant health risks and undermines the rule of law. To improve how alcoholic products are sold and enjoyed across the country, we look forward to working with the government and other relevant stakeholders to eliminate the sale of alcoholic products to minors and to combat the harmful use of alcohol in all its forms,” Randhawa added.
ABAPI president Rajesh Joshi stressed the need for the participation of not just brand owners, but of e-commerce distributors in the responsible selling of alcohol.
“The responsible distribution of alcohol in the Philippines is a shared responsibility, not just between the government and producers but also with the distribution channels that consumers access more frequently now more than ever. It is important that all the stakeholders involved actively participate to protect minors from purchasing alcohol and continuously work together to create safeguards for consumers in the country.”
The pledge and the MOU follow previous initiatives aimed at curtailing illegal alcohol trade.
In January of 2021, the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), an organization comprising of some of the biggest beer, wine, and spirits producers in the world, signed a partnership with online retailers and e-commerce and delivery platforms to create robust global standards for the online sale and delivery of alcoholic beverages. This was also following another joint global pledge in 2019 between IARD and various social media platforms to ramp up protective measures such as age screening to prevent minors from seeing alcoholic beverage advertisements on digital platforms.
In 2020, IARD committed to implement global standards for online alcohol sales and delivery. These include ensuring safeguards are in place to prevent preventing minors and harmful drinkers from buying alcohol online. Irma Isip
