Online marketplaces warned vs selling prohibited goods

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said online marketplaces should prevent their sellers found and proven liable for selling counterfeit products, among other violations, from being able to sell on the digital platform again.

Government agencies, including the DTI, had issued a joint order that compiled all existing rules on online businesses. In a statement on Monday, DTI said the order provides a ‘non-exhaustive’ list of at least 50 categories of products that were prohibited or regulated.

Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 22-01 was issued with Departments of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Health (DOH), National Privacy Commission and Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

The JAO reminds all online businesses—whether platforms, e-retailers, or merchants that sell over the internet—that laws, rules, and regulations that apply to physical stores likewise apply to online stores.

In 2021, DTI said it received over 12,000 complaints against online businesses ranging from deceptive products, to the sale of counterfeit or pirated products, mostly on digital platforms and social media marketplaces.

Under the JAO, DTI said all platforms need to verify if the goods sold by their merchants were regulated, prohibited, original, genuine, licensed or unexpired. “All digital platforms including social media marketplaces such as Facebook/Meta, Instagram, Viber, Lazada, Shopee, Carousell, among others, must comply with all existing laws, rules, and regulations. They need to put in place strict protocols to prevent recidivists or those previously found administratively liable from selling again,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

With the accelerated adoption of e-commerce, the DTI said regulators had seen the proliferation of items that are prohibited for sale without license or permit, among which are fertilizers, chainsaws, medicines and consumer products under the DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards mandatory list. INQ