THE INTERNET Transactions Act, which aims to protect online consumers by tightening e-commerce regulations, was approved by the Senate on second reading on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 1865, a priority bill of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., will classify entities involved in e-commerce in the Philippines as businesses operating within the country, making them subject to domestic laws.
“It will address the pressing need to ensure that Filipinos can harness the benefits of the digital world without compromising their privacy and security,” Senator Mark A. Villar, the bill’s author, said in a statement explaining the measure last month.
The House of Representatives approved its version of the bill on third and final reading last December. In June, the President certified the measure as urgent, citing the need to improve the regulation of e-commerce transactions and upgrade consumer protections. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
