The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Cordillera Administrative Region joined the celebration of the World Consumer Rights Day through price and product standard monitoring activities and CONSUMERnet meetings across the region.

The consumer movement, through the Consumers International (CI), marks the 15th of March as WCRD to highlight issues on consumerism and raise awareness on consumer rights, consumer protection and empowerment. This year’s WCRD carries the theme, “Fair Digital Finance,” and calls for a global movement to ensure fair digital finance that is inclusive, safe, data protected and private, and sustainable.

“The DTI encourages all consumers to observe the WCRD and learn more on digital finance by joining us in our Consumer Care Webinar Series,” said DTI Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Atty. Ruth B. Castelo as well as the international celebration of the WCRD on March 15.

CONSUMERnet

Eleven agencies joined the CONSUMERNET meeting hosted by DTI Cordillera Administrative Region, represented by DTI Baguio Benguet Provincial Director Samuel Gallardo and Regional Office Consumer Protection Division Chief Jerry Agpes on 17 March 2022.

The group discussed the consumer oriented activities of each member agency for the year 2022. The team also tried to resolve the issues and concerns relative to the said programs in an open forum. The DTI is thankful for the participation of the various agencies in ensuring that the consumers remain well-informed and protected in various aspects.

Price and Product Standards Compliance Monitoring

The team of DTI CAR and DTI Baguio Benguet, headed by OIC Regional Director Juliet P. Lucas, visited hardware stores and grocery stores in the municipality of Atok and Buguias, Benguet. All monitored establishments passed the standards required for steel bar products.

“As to the prices of goods, we are currently experiencing some increase in prizes of flour, attributable to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine where we also import some of the same. But this is something that we are also expecting, given the continuous increase in fuel prices. We will continue monitoring the same to also protect our consumers. As to the compliance of hardware stores to product standards, we are happy that the establishment monitored passed the required standards. We are happy and assured that our consumers in the Atok and Buguias areas are in good hands,” OIC-RD Juliet Lucas said.

Hardware store owners also thanked the agency saying that they are happy that through the monitoring conducted, they are assured that the products they are buying from manufacturers and selling to their consumers are within the standards required. ♦

Date of Release: 13 April 2022