CABINET Secretary Karlo Nograles wants unscrupulous traders who mislabel their products to fraudulently benefit from the government’s “buy local” program punished for their illegal act.
“It’s unfortunate that there are cunning traders who have resorted to this illegal act. They should not be left unpunished. I know of particular examples to that. Let me remind our traders that mislabeling is an illegal act. It is punishable under our laws,” Nograles said during a Facebook Live session.
Nograles said it has been brought to his attention that some erring businessmen had been labeling imported products as locally made to capitalize on the Department of Trade and Industry’s “buy local” campaign, especially in the rice, poultry and construction industries.
Nograles, who heads the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Zero Hunger, said the growing number of complaints against the mislabeling of imported goods is a strong indication that the government’s campaign is gaining traction among consumers.