E-Commerce bill, hiniling ng DTI sa Senado na aprubahan

HINILING ng  Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sa Senado na aprubahan ang pagpapasa upang maging ganap na batas ang  Internet Transactions Act.

Sinabi ni DTI Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco  na ang Internet Transactions Act, o  E-Commerce law, ay isa sa mga priority legislative agenda ng administrasyong Marcos.

“We’d like to see a robust e-commerce sector that will also protect consumers, data privacy, intellectual property and security, as well as of course product and safety standards,” ayon kay Pacheco sa idinaos na virtual organizational meeting kasama ang Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship.

Tinukoy nito ang Google-commissioned “e-Conomy Southeast Asia Report” para sa taong 2021  na nagsasabing ang Pilipinas ang “fastest growing internet economy” sa Southeast Asia na mayroong 12 milyong consumers at maaaring umabot sa US$40 billion “in value” sa taong 2025.

“Overall, the Philippines was the fastest-growing market in the region, driven by strict lockdowns as well as a tipping point on the adoption of certain digital services,” ang nakasaad sa report, may 39% ng  digital merchants  na nagsasabing  hindi ito makaka- survived sa pandemiya kung wala ang  digital platforms.

Ang panukalang E-Commerce Act ay naglalayong “to create an E-Commerce Bureau under the DIT to regulate internet commercial activities and protect consumers who engage in online transactions.”

Samantala, hiniling din ni DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual sa mga senador na sang-ayunan ang paglagda ng Pilipinas sa  Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade deal at pag-amiyenda sa  Republic Act 9501 o Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. (Daris Jose)