ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) promotes fair and responsible business practices through its Bagwis Program which recognizes businesses that uphold consumer rights and provide excellent service.
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas (KBP), DTI Western Visayas Assistant Regional Director Mutya D. Eusores highlighted that this recognition is given to business establishments that uphold and promote consumer welfare.
For Western Visayas, 57 new establishments earned the Bagwis Seal of Excellence, while 8 awardees were upgraded in 2024, setting the standard for fair and responsible business practices.
Levels of award include Bronze, indicating the establishment’s compliance to Fair Trade Laws, Consumer Welfare Desk (CWD) or an equivalent customer relations office inside the mall; Silver as an achievement of Bronze requirements plus social responsibility; and Gold as an achievement of Silver requirements including some elements aligned to ISO 9001 or the globally recognized standard for quality management.
“We continue to campaign on this. Every year, we have a target set for each province, and we help our business establishments during the application process because they are being evaluated by our committee prior to endorsement for the approval of the head office,” explained Eusores.
All retail establishments can join the program such as small supermarkets, grocery stores selling basic necessities and prime commodities, department stores, appliance centers, service and repair enterprises, hardware stores, and novelty stores selling specialized items.
“These establishments are being nominated by our provincial offices by means of monitoring and inspection, seeing to it that they comply with several Fair Trade Laws implemented by the agency such as the Price Act, Suggested Retail Prices, and Product Standards Law, among others,” said chief of the Consumer Protection Division Grace Benedicto.
Benedicto noted that there are 109 commodities under Mandatory Certification, meaning the hardware stores and appliance centers selling products that have Philippine Standard Mark and Import Commodity Clearance are being selected, ensuring that they consistently comply with the laws.
Additionally, the Bagwis Seal promotes the establishment of Consumer Welfare Desks or an equivalent customer relations office inside the establishment, which will act as a mechanism for the prompt resolution of customer concerns such as on expired items and warranties, and at the same time will serve as a source of information for customers. (AAL/AGP/PIA 6)
