Key government agencies gathered at Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod July 7 in a bid to strengthen inter-agency coordination in the handling of consumer complaints in Negros Occidental.
“Consumer protection is everybody’s concern,” Department of Trade and Industry Negros Occidental director Lynna Joy Cardinal said in her message at the Provincial Consumer Network (ConsumerNet) meeting.
“While DTI has become the go-to for consumer concerns, many issues actually fall under the mandate of our partner-agencies. That’s why the ConsumerNet exists—to bridge those gaps, accelerate referrals, and protect consumers more effectively,” she stressed.
While the DTI often serves as the public’s first point of contact for consumer concerns, there is need to direct complaints to proper agencies to ensure swift and appropriate resolution, the agency said.
“This network is more than a meeting—it’s a movement. Together, we ensure that every consumer voice is heard and every concern is addressed,” Cardinal stressed.
The DTI said the ConsumerNet serves as a collaborative platform built on the three pillars of advocacy, monitoring, and complaints handling.
The hybrid meeting, led by Cardinal and the Consumer Protection Unit (CPU), was attended by representatives from concerned agencies, like the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bangko Sentral, Department of Agriculture, and DOH-Food and Drug Administration, among others.
These agencies are all aligned in strengthening consumer welfare in Negros Occidental.
Presentations were delivered by Reginald Hudierez of the DTI NegOcc CPU, Gifford Selloriquez of the Land Transportation Office in Western Visayas, P/Maj. Leopoldo Booc Jr. – team leader of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-NIR, and Jacinto Pamine of the National Commission of Senior Citizens-Region VI.
Each speaker shared their respective agency’s procedures and mandates, and reinforced the importance of streamlined referrals and shared responsibilities in addressing consumer grievances. ||
