Manila: Businesses with an online presence are given until September 30, 2025, to register for the E-Commerce Philippine Trustmark (Trustmark), a move aimed to address consumer concerns, the Department of Trade and Industry said Thursday. Online merchants are mandated by the DTI, in a Department Administrative Order, to register for the Trustmark to increase consumers' confidence in the e-commerce space and in compliance with Republic Act 11967, known as the Internet Transactions Act of 2023.
According to Philippines News Agency, 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. Under the Internet Transactions Act of 2023, consumers may file damage claims against erring online businesses before the court or the DTI. Penalties have been set, with the third and subsequent violations penalized PHP1 million.
DTI 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 Corporation (Asahi), Cherenz Global Mfg., Inc. (TOUGHMAMA), Concepcion Midea, Inc. (Midea), Concepcion Carrier Air Conditioning Company (Carrier), First Digital Finance Corporation (Billease), Mailtag Ortigas Corporation (DHL Express), Pan-Eurasia Sales Marketing Corporation (Dowell, Edamama, and Tefal), QuadX Inc. (Gogo Xpress and ShippingCart), and Tosot Philippines Corporation (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 stated. Online merchants may file the Trustmark applications through the official portal at https://www.trustmark.dti.gov.ph, and may inquire for other issues through the DTI E-Commerce Bureau via [email protected] or (+632) 7791.3282, it added.
