Friday, September 22, 2006

DTI BOHOL WILL CELEBRATE CONSUMER WELFARE MONTH IN OCTOBER 06


Pambansang Pamilihan Awards will be given to outstanding public markets under the Bantay Bilihin Program
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is one of the National Government Agencies tasked to oversee the implementation of Republic Act 7394 otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines. The passage of this law has been seen by many Filipinos as the panacea to the continued violation of consumer rights committed by unscrupulous businessmen. Filipino consumers are now protected and assured of redress mechanisms that could help facilitate the early and inexpensive resolution of their grievances.
One of the Programs, which the law has afforded legal basis, is the Bantay Bilihin Program of the DTI. This is in conjunction with the basic policy of the State to protect the interest of the consumer, promote the general welfare and establish standards of conduct for business and industry. Specifically, the State shall protect consumers against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and practices, provide information and education to facilitate sound choice and the proper exercise of rights by the consumers and provide adequate rights and means of redress, involve consumer representation in the formulation of social and economic policies.

The depreciation of the peso due to dollar fluctuations created immense uncertainties and apprehensions on the Filipino consumers who are the immediate victims of any downturn in the economy. This scenario necessitates wise spending of the peso vis-à-vis the product and services it may acquire in the marketplace. The peso may have its true worth should consumers exercise sound choice on the price and quality of the product. It is a fact that poor consumers are most often left at the mercy of some profit-oriented unscrupulous businessmen as a result of inadequate information on the implementation of consumer-related laws. In addition, many are not aware of the basic rights and responsibilities of consumers and the presence of different implementing agencies and appropriate bodies where they can present their grievances and seek redress.

The Bantay Bilihin program is a multi-sectoral program designed to provide a more visible, pro-active and accessible Department of Trade and Industry in disseminating information to ensure appropriate consumer welfare and protection.

The program has a built in component, the Pambansang Pamilihan Awards project wherein consumers and businessmen alike are given due recognition and importance of their interplay in the market. In this project, private and public market places are checked on their compliance of the fair trade and other consumer related laws thereby affording consumers with a venue in the promotion of consumer rights and responsibilities.

Generally, the program will involve the following: 1) Strengthening of the National Price Coordinating Council (LPCC). DTI, as LPCC Secretariat, shall establish close coordination with government and private agencies thru meetings and special sessions when the need arises in order to plan, conceptualize, implement and coordinate programs and measures to address the concerns of consumers, most specifically the stability of the price and supply of basic and prime commodities. 2) Provision of Consumer Information and Redress Mechanisms thru the Consumer Welfare Desks at the store premises and the public/private market areas; 3) Consumer Education, Redress and Advocacy; and other Self-Policing Projects to encourage compliance of market places to safety, reasonable price of goods at all times and fair trade laws such as price tags, labeling laws, and 4) Re-activation of the ConsumerNet to handle the resolution of consumer complaints.
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To promote and strengthen consumer welfare and protection among the people of Tagbilaran City and entire province of Bohol.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
To motivate the public/private market masters and vendors to actively take part in ensuring and upholding the rights of consumers.

To establish standards to be followed by public/private market places in order to ensure consumer’s health and safety.

To encourage market operators (city/municipal government and private organizations) to run market places that follow these prescribed standards.

To ensure that consumers are protected from inaccurate weighing scales
To speed-up handling and resolution of consumer complaints.


TARGET PARTICIPANTS
Targeted participants of the program include the Tagbilaran City Central Public Market and the respective Public Markets of the forty seven (47) municipalities of Bohol which will qualify with the criteria set. The pre-qualifying criteria are as follows: a) class of the municipality; b) the number of business establishments actually doing business in the market; c) Nature and area of the market and the infra support of thereof. ***

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