As the country’s representative to the ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) hosts the 3rd ASEAN Consumer Protection Conference (ACPC) 2022 on 28 June 2022.

In the ACPC, the ACCP highlights the ASEAN Member States’ (AMS) achievements and advancements in consumer protection policy, advocacy, and enforcement. Particularly, its also serves as the venue for the launch ceremony of the ACCP Learning Management System (LMS) of the Online Interactive and Distance Learning Tools.

With the development of interactive e-learning tools, the ACCP, through this LMS, aims to increase consumer awareness and vigilance across all AMS. Once available, the LMS will offer modules on Consumer Protection such as Understanding Consumer Issues, Becoming a Consumer Champion, Building a Consumer Movement, and Settling Consumer Disputes.

This initiative falls under the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for Consumer Protection (ASAPCP) 2025, specifically “Strategic Goal 4: Consumer concerns are integrated into all ASEAN policies.” The German Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH funded the development of the e-learning tools as part of the PROTECT Project, which aims to strengthen consumer protection systems in ASEAN, through regional and country-level assistance.

DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Assistant Secretary, Atty. Ann Claire C. Cabochan, points out, “The DTI encourages the public to access the ACCP LMS and enroll in these free modules to know more about consumer protection laws and become consumer champions”.

“These ASEAN e-learning tools will greatly assist the AMS’ governments in properly educating the ASEAN consumers”, DTI-CPG Undersecretary, Atty. Ruth B. Castelo, emphasizes.

The ACCP LMS is open to the public after its official launch in the ACPC on 28 June 2022. Individuals who successfully complete the modules can download a certificate of completion.

For more information on the ACCP and its programs, the public is advised to visit https://aseanconsumer.org/. For consumer-related concerns and queries, you may send an email to ConsumerCare@dti.gov.ph or reach us thru the One-DTI (1-384) Hotline. ♦

Date of Release: 09 June 2022