NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, July 7 (PIA) --The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here is urging online sellers to register their business.
Negros Occidental DTI Chief of Industry Division Engiemar Tupas said the call of the government is intended to protect sellers and give the business a legal personality.
The call to register, however, is only for those online entrepreneurs, who intend to build an online business with an intention to derive income from it. It is not for people who engage in online selling only during the pandemic, he explained.
It is not also for the purpose of chasing online sellers so that they should not be afraid, he added.
Tupas said both sellers and consumers go to the DTI office for help in case something goes wrong in their online transactions, anyway.
He cited an online customer who was duped of P60,000 worth of undelivered products with the online seller nowhere to be found for lack of information and contact details.
To register, an applicant only needs any government issued identification card such as driver’s license, voter’s ID, Professional Regulatory Commission ID, Postal ID and others.
DTI Registration fee is only P230 which is already good for five years and can be released as fast as 15 minutes, he said.
Although there is a penalty if one is caught doing business without being registered, he said, they are not looking at that scenario for now.
He said a registered online seller or any entrepreneur can apply in the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) that exempts them from paying a minimum wage to their employees. BMBEs are those business ventures with a capital of less than P3 million.
Tupas said having a registered business entitles the owner to avail of government assistance programs such as free training and seminars, technical consultancies as well as financial assistance.
He said sari-sari store owners have registered with the DTI and even ambulant vendors because of the benefits they can avail.
In the event that their registered business ceases for some reasons, the owner can apply for an affidavit to close registration.
He said this cancels the business name in the DTI registry system and the cancellation certificate can be submitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Local Government Unit. (JSC/Lljr/PIA6 Negros Occidental)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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