DTI mulls seal for online selling sites

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines (DCOM) will meet later this month to discuss the grant of a seal on online selling sites that comply with certain rules as part of promoting consumer protection, an official said.

According to Trade undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya, the Trade department was scheduled to meet with the DCOM last month but the meeting did not push through.

“It has been reset, I think (in the) last week of April,” she said.

She said the DTI and DCOM intend to come up with a seal for online selling sites that comply with a certain set of rules when it comes to dealing with consumers.

She said the partnership being eyed with the DCOM is similar to one which the DTI has entered into with the Ad Standards Council (ASC) in which the latter conducts the screening and evaluation of advertisements based on a Code of Ethics which have been approved by the department.

“Everything they approve is consistent with what the government wants...We just need to check the ASC seal,” she said.

The DTI’s partnership with the ASC, which started two years ago, is currently being reviewed.

Maglaya said that just like the ASC, the government also wants DCOM to police its members.

Earlier, DCOM president Jack Madrid said the group is ready to present to the DTI its proposed seal and criteria.

He said the seal and criteria are intended to assure consumers that the online selling sites they transact with are compliant with certain standards.

Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said earlier they are looking to have the seal as well as consolidated criteria for the grant of such, ready within the first-half of the year.

The DTI supports the creation of a seal for online selling sites as it allows consumers to achieve confidence in transacting through the Internet which in turn would help promote the growth of electronic commerce transactions.