GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) — The monitoring and enforcement team of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 12 inspected 32 service and repair enterprises (SRE) in the city in an effort to crackdown unaccredited enterprise businesses violating the state enterprise law.
Of the 32 SREs, 23 of these were issued “Notice of Violation” and were given “48 hours to submit their written explanation or appear in person” to refute the findings of the inspection team to the DTI regional office.
The two-day monitoring and enforcement operations on SREs were undertaken on April 18-19.
DTI 12 Regional Director Flora Politud-Gabunales said the crackdown is a regular activity of the DTI to step up “the agency’s advocacy to protect consumers from unscrupulous businesses” having also inspected 42 establishments in the first quarter of this year.
She said that it is mandated upon the DTI to launch such an operation consistent with the guidelines set under Presidential Decree No. 1572 and Republic Act 7394, otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
Under the law, the agency is responsible for SREs regulation to make sure that “the public is protected from unethical, unfair, and incompetent practices by SREs” that may endanger people’s safety and put other good standing businesses in jeopardy.
Director Gabunales also underscored the need for the SREs to undergo the process of accreditation according to existing laws, since compliance with the mandated requirements of the law could be the first step toward boosting clients’ confidence in the business that SRE owners are operating.
She explained that accreditation can mean “legal recognition that service and repair establishments and their technical personnel have complied with the requirements of the law” and are therefore “reliable and competent to practice the trade.”
Citing Presidential Decree 1572, DTI said that all technical personnel and enterprises in the service and repair industry must apply for accreditation from the DTI.
But it made clear that “accreditation is valid from the date of issuance until only December 31st of the same calendar year.”
DTI did note, however, that a 25% surcharge and administrative fees would apply if business accreditation was not renewed by the deadline. (CTA, PIA SarGen/With reports from DTI 12)
