The Department of Finance (DoF) has secured the full support of the Department of Health (DoH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its proposal to ban the unauthorized online selling of so-called sin products. With wider and easier access to ‘sin’ products through technology, regulatory purview should be expanded to ensure that online selling is similarly covered,” the two agencies said in their joint statement. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd announced earlier that his department would work to ban the unauthorized sale of liquor, cigarettes and other sin products in the electronic marketplace to ensure that these would not be accessible to minors. Consumer safeguards such as seller registration, product quality and safety mechanisms to validate recipients of “sin” products are essential to preventing minors from purchasing these online, according to them. “Expanding this regulatory purview to cover the online selling of these ‘sin’ products is a progressive step in protecting the health of Filipinos.”

Source: Manila Times July 21, 2020 16:57 UTC