CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Central Visayas attributes the low number of recorded violations among business establishments in Cebu to its information drive on business compliance.
DTI Regional Director Maria Elena C. Arbon said the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) recently visited Cebu province and checked more than 200 establishments for compliance with trade and product regulations.
Of the total, only 11 establishments recorded violations, most of which involved non-compliance with the Philippine National Standards (PNS).
PNS sets the minimum standard for a specific commodity to help industries produce quality products, improve productivity, protect consumers and facilitate trade.
FTEB handles import regulation, sales promotion, product standards monitoring, business licensing, enforcement, mediation and adjudication related to the Consumer Act, Price Act and Business Name Laws.
Arbon attributes the low number of violations to DTI’s information, education and communication campaigns.
“To me, that shows that the advocacy that we have been doing all throughout the years also works. So generally, our businesses are compliant if they just know what to do. Continuous IEC, continuous visitation,” Arbon said.
DTI is monitoring nearly 2,000 business establishments in Central Visayas for compliance with the Fair Trade Law (FTL), suggested retail price (SRP), business name registration (BNR), prices, price tags and labeling, sales promotions and wages, among others.
Arbon said price monitoring helps DTI track price trends, while FTL compliance monitoring helps ensure establishments are aware of changes in laws or policies.
Arbon said business establishments that commit violations are mostly unaware of the laws or policies.
“For the Fair Trade Law, it’s partly advocacy because a lot of these are what we call not compliant. It’s simply because they are not aware of changes in law, policies,” she added.
‘No Wrong Door’ Policy
DTI7 encourages the public to report consumer complaints.
Arbon assured that all complaints will be addressed, as they observe the “No Wrong Door” Policy, which means anyone seeking assistance will not be turned away but instead directed to the appropriate agency.
“Naa man ta’y gitawag nga (We have what we call the) ‘No Wrong Door’ Policy. Even if it’s not our jurisdiction, we will accept and then refer you to whichever agency is appropriate,” she said.
As of 2024, DTI7 recorded and addressed 401 consumer complaints in the region through mediation and arbitration, most of which involved online purchases. (JJT/PIA7)
