DTI orders e-commerce sites to remove illegal vape listings

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has ordered e-commerce platforms to remove illegal product listings within seven days or face sanctions for failure to do so.

In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Tuesday, Director Eryl Royce Nagtalon, officer-in-charge of the DTI E-Commerce Bureau, said the directive was issued primarily to protect consumers and prevent the spread of vape products that violate existing laws.

At the same briefing, DTI E-Commerce and Compliance Division chief Atty. Frediswenda Benas revealed that the problem has become widespread, with the agency monitoring around 92,000 vape product listings in the past two years. Many of these, she noted, were seized either from online platforms or during physical inspections.

READ: Take down illegal vape listings, online sites told 

To ensure compliance, the DTI has issued formal orders to platforms reminding them of the seven-day deadline, with monitoring teams conducting spot checks.

“Monitoring is ongoing, and should they fail to comply, the DTI is prepared to pursue legal remedies under the Consumer Act, the Internet Transactions Act, and other applicable industry laws,” Nagtalon said.

READ: CIDG seizes P8.5-M smuggled vape in Quiapo 

Nagtalon added that digital platforms may also be held “solidarily liable” if they allow merchants to sell illegal vape products through their sites. Under Republic Act No. 11967, or the Internet Transactions Act (ITA), platforms that fail to comply may face “administrative fines, blacklisting, or takedown orders.”

The DTI also said it is closely coordinating with the Department of Health and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to strengthen enforcement and curb the circulation of unregulated vape products. Maria Jodi Pada, INQUIRER.net intern /jpv