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VIGILANT
consumers are made by strong education and information.
Thus,
this year’s Consumer Month Celebration in October is
“Education and Information: Keys to Consumer
Empowerment” with the Department of the Education (DepEd)
hosting this year’s festivities.
This
year’s emphasis is based on the seventh of the eighth
consumer rights, which is spelled out in the country’s
Consumer Act, which is the “right to consumer
education.” This means that every Filipino has the right
to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to be an
informed customer.
Consumer
education is for all ages. Elementary Grade One students
to senior citizens must be informed of their rights and
responsibilities. Armed with information, citizens can
make wise decisions in the purchase of goods. Thus,
information empowers consumers to get value for their
money.
To give
meaning to this year’s celebration, the DepEd and the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are signing a
memorandum of agreement that will include consumer
subjects in the curricula of public and private
high-school students.
This
initiative is envisioned to create a mass base of
vigilant consumers that will demand from manufacturers
quality products and from stores better services and
honest pricing.
The
government sees the need to educate consumers not only
of their rights and responsibilities but also of the
prevailing laws that protect the public against erring
businessmen and the defective products that proliferate
in the market.
That is
why the consumer month celebration is not only confined
to the host agency. The celebration activities geared
toward education are shared by the 18 ConsumerNet
government agencies, which deals with consumer concerns.
Member-agencies of ConsumerNet include the Department of
Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Energy, Department
of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of
Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government,
Department of Transportation and Communications,
Department of Science and Technology, Department of
Finance, Insurance Commission, Housing and Land Use
Regulatory Board, Bureau of Internal Revenue,
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Energy
Regulatory Commission, Securities and Exchange
Commission, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System,
and the Local Water Utilities Administration.
These
government agencies, committed to safeguard the interest
of consumers, readily accept complaints arising from
violations on the rights of consumers. These agencies
also partner with nongovernment organizations to assist
them in looking after the welfare of consumers.
For the
Department of Trade and Industry, Undersecretary Zenaida
C. Maglaya is tasked to oversee the management of
operations of five agencies that are directly involved
in consumer welfare. These agencies are the Bureau of
Product Standards (BPS), Bureau of Trade Regulation,
Philippine Shippers’ Bureau, Construction Industry
Authority of the Philippines (CIAP), Construction
Manpower Development Foundation (CMDF).
Aside
from the MOA signing of DepEd and DTI, some of the
consumer information activities lined up by the DTI
include:
•
Consumer Trade Fair (CTF). Products with Philippine
Standard (PS) and International Conformity Clearance (ICC)
marks will be on display at the Megatrade Hall in SM
Megamall from October 11 to 14. PS and ICC marks are
seals of excellence for local and international products
that have undergone strict standards testing. Other DTI
bureaus will also put up booths to inform public of
their consumer services.
•
Recognition of Stores with the DTI-Certified
Establishments with Seal of Excellence. These retailers
adhere to consumer laws and sell only quality products.
•
Lecture Series. Simultaneous with the CTF is a Lecture
Series on Consumer Education with topics such as
warranty, credit card, and the Senior Citizens Act.
• Tours
to Testing Laboratories. Students from different high
schools in Metro Manila will tour BPS-accredited
laboratories to educate them on the rigid tests that a
product undergoes before it is approved to be sold in
the market.
Every
week this October, the department has designated themes
or topics for public information. For the first week,
price tag and surcharge will be the topic for public
dissemination. PS/ICC marks is the topic for the second
week, followed by deceptive sales, and finally on the
fourth week is replace, repair and refund.
DTI also
has hooked up with ABS-CBN for its dzMM program Konsumer
at iba pa, which airs consumer topics every Saturday
9:30 a.m. Consumer topics are aired and DTI officials
are onboard to entertain complaints.
The DTI
believes that consumer protection is not a monthlong
activity. Rather it is a year-long campaign to promote
the interest of the consumer and champion their cause
for a better market place.
Consumers are vital in the development of the market.
Without consumers, there is no market to serve, thus,
consumers interest is a primary concern of the
government.
 The
annual celebration of the Consumer Welfare Month in
October is intended to remind the public of the
importance that the nation gives to every consumer.
It is
also every October that the government and consumer
groups review past month’s gains and plan for the months
ahead.
The
annual celebration of the Consumer Welfare Month was
mandated by Presidential Proclamation 1098, which was
signed by then-President Fidel V. Ramos. It was
established to further enhance the unified efforts of
government agencies to fully and effectively implement
the Consumer Act. |
