Lawmaker seeks gov’t regulation of e-commerce

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A BILL has been filed in the House of Representatives proposing to regulate online transactions in the country to protect Filipino consumers in the face of numerous complaints of fraud, overpricing, and product hoarding.

Valenzuela City Rep. Weslie Gatchalian, chairman of the House committee on trade and industry and author of House Bill No. 6122, told Laging Handa public briefing that internet sales have grown from $2 billion in 2015 to more than $7 billion as of 2019.

Citing figures collected by his panel, he said e-commerce is further projected to grow into a $25 billion industry.

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“We have a 67 percent internet penetration rate in the country compared to the global average of only 54 percent. Filipinos also spend around 10 hours online daily against the worldwide average of just six hours. So we see the potential of internet transactions to grow exponentially,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian also noted that the two-and-a-half months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the importance of e-commerce for many Filipino households.

“More people took to online shopping and selling. They experienced the convenience of shopping for anything from food to groceries and paying bills. Unfortunately, we don’t have any law at present to protect them from dishonest traders,” he said.

Gatchalian disclosed that figures submitted to his committee by the PNP-Criminal

Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) showed online customers have filed more than 500 complaints alleging delivery of counterfeit, sub-standard or defective items as well as cases of fraud and product hoarding.

Despite such risks, he said e-commerce will continue to grow as more and more Filipinos adapt to the internet age.

“Hence it has become of primary importance that the government stepped in to provide protection for both the merchants and consumers. We will ask all online platforms to register with the DTI in return for securing a DTI trust mark which will give them an edge in terms of costumer trust to transact,” he explained.

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