Press Release - Sen. Mark Villar lauds PBBM for signing and prioritizing Internet Transactions Act Into Law

The Internet Transactions Act has been signed into law yesterday, December 5, 2023, by President Bongbong Marcos. The ITA is authored and sponsored by Senator Mark Villar in the current congress.

"After three years since it was first introduced in the Congress, tagumpay po ng mga Pilipino ang pagsasabatas ng Internet Transactions Act. Ang ITA ang magiging regulatory framework para sa mga online transactions. Ito ay magbibigay proteksyon sa ating mga consumers at merchants laban sa mga online scams at frauds," Senator Mark said.

The ITA or Republic Act No. 11967 will primarily provide safety mechanisms for all stakeholders involved in e-commerce. The law establishes various consumer protection measures including the primary liability of online merchants, enhanced dispute resolution mechanisms, and increased clarity of product information online. In the same way, merchants will be protected by the ITA through the provisions of trustmark or seal of excellence badge, code of conduct for business entities, especially against anti-competitive practices. The law will further protect the merchants by empowering the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to immediately take down listings or offers that may scam consumers online.

"Ating sinigurado na two-way ang proteksyon na mabibigay ng ITA. Wala pong magiging dehado sa batas na ito dahil bibigyang proteksyon nito ang mga consumers at mga merchants," Senator Mark stressed.

"More than giving them safety, mabibigyan po natin ng pagkakataon ang ating kapwa Pilipino to maximize the benefits of the digital economy, tulad ng pagkakaroon ng additional source of income," Senator Mark underscored.

Now that it is signed into law, the ITA is expected to boost the country's e-commerce industry as the supposed losses from scam and fraud activities will be converted to positive activities as both consumers and merchants will be encouraged to partake in digital transactions.

"Through the ITA, we will crack down on scammers! Matitigil na po ang kanilang mga oportunistang gawain dahil ma-reregulate na ng ITA ang mga online transactions," Senator Mark emphasized.