“October is Consumer Welfare Month (CWM)”: DTI lines up activities in celebration of CWM | Department of Trade and Industry Philippines

The Department of Trade and Industry, through its Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG), spearheads the annual celebration of the Consumer Welfare Month (CWM) this October with various activities lined up starting on 1 October 2021.

“Digital Consumers: The New Normal” is this year’s theme, and it highlights the government’s continued consumer protection programs in today’s heightened utilization of electronic commerce.

“We encourage everyone to join us in celebrating CWM by participating in our virtual activities and assisting us share DTI’s programs for the consumers,” says DTI-CPG Undersecretary Atty. Ruth B. Castelo.

To kick-off the month-long celebration, the Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau (CPAB) will hold another virtual dance and fitness class, dubbed as “Consumer Welfare Zumba” on 1 October 2021. The CPAB enlisted the help of the National Telecommunications Commission to broadcast information relative to the CWM celebration via public service announcements through text message to further promote DTI’s CWM activities.

Furthermore, the DTI continues to hold throughout the month in the NCR the Presyong Risonable Dapat Program – Frozen Meat Edition and the CWM Diskwento Caravan. In addition, from 19-21 October 2021, the CPAB plans to hold a CWM Online Sale, where discounted goods will be available to the public via participating manufacturers’ websites.

Other activities include the conduct 4^th Consumer Youth e-Forum on 20 October to equip the youth with the knowledge to understand and maximize the opportunities in e-Commerce and enable them with the tools to help them overcome the challenges and risks they may face as young entrepreneurs and consumers.

The Bagwis E-Convention will also be conducted on 22 October during which the CPAB will recognize the 2020-2021 Bagwis Awardees for the Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels for NCR and will present the proposed revisions on the Bagwis Award Implementing Guidelines. This year, the CPAB is also set to organize a Debate E-Tournament among college students on 24 October 2021.

A key activity is the National Conference for the ASEAN Peer Review on Consumer Protection in the Philippines which will take place on 18 October 2021 to present the key findings of the External Peer Review Report on the country’s consumer policy formulation, advocacy, monitoring and enforcement, and redress. The Philippines is the first country in ASEAN to undertake peer review. Another key event is the Consumer E-Congress on 29 October 2021, which aims to bring together consumer champions and stakeholders from across the country for a virtual discussion of topics that will raise awareness on consumer protection in the digital economy.

Meanwhile, aside from the CWM Celebration, the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) is set to observe the 47^th National Standards Week from 8-14 October 2021 with the theme, “Shared Vision for a Better World.”

On 11 October 2021, the BPS will have its “Kapihan sa BPS,” an interactive question-and-answer session with the Standards Conformity Division Heads. Other activities include the BPS Testing Laboratory Tour via Zoom and the annual Standards Stakeholders Conference, among others.

Meanwhile the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau is set to hold an IREGIS E-Rollout and E-TANONG/E-SAGOT @ DTI during the last week of October 2021. For more information about the 2021 CWM activities, everyone is enjoined to visit the DTI Consumer Care and Konsyumer Atbp (KATBP) Facebook pages or send an email to CPAB@dti.gov.ph. ♦

Date of Release: 30 September 2021

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