BUSINESSES with online presence are given until Sept. 30, 2025, to register for the E-Commerce Philippine Trustmark (Trustmark), a move aimed to address consumer concerns, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Thursday, Sept. 11.
Online merchants are mandated by the DTI, in a Department Administrative Order, to register for the Trustmark to increase consumers’ confidence on the electric commerce (e-commerce) space and in compliance to Republic Act 11967, otherwise known as the Internet Transactions Act of 2023.
“The mandatory registration is also a direct response to the surge in consumer concerns, with DTI recording over 13,000 complaints related to online transactions from January to August 2025,” DTI said in a press release Thursday.
Under the Internet Transactions Act of 2023, consumers may file damage claims against the erring online businesses before the court or the DTI.
Penalties have been set, with the third and subsequent violations penalized P1 million.
DTI said it has already issued digital badges to several major entities that include Shopee Philippines, Inc. (Shopee), Bytedance Philippines Inc. (TikTok Shop), Lalamove Philippines Inc. (Lalamove) and LG Electronics Philippines Inc. (LG).
The others are Asahi Electrical Manufacturing Corp. (Asahi), Cherenz Global Mfg., Inc. (TOUGHMAMA), Concepcion Midea Inc. (Midea), Concepcion Carrier Air Conditioning Company (Carrier), First Digital Finance Corp. (Billease), Mailtag Ortigas Corp. (DHL Express), Pan-Eurasia Sales Marketing Corp. (Dowell, Edamama and Tefal), QuadX Inc. (Gogo Xpress and ShippingCart) and Tosot Philippines Corp. (Tosot).
“To earn and maintain a Trustmark, businesses must meet key regulatory standards, including full business disclosure, protection of consumer data, and the establishment of an internal redress mechanism to address consumer complaints,” DTI said.
Online merchants may file the Trustmark applications through the official portal at https://www.trustmark.dti.gov.ph. / PNA
