ENVIRONMENTAL watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition on Thursday welcomed the enforcement of Republic Act (RA) 11967, also known as the Internet Transactions Law.

The law, enacted in 2023, officially took effect on June 20. It gives digital platforms, online merchants, and other players in the e-commerce industry time to comply with its provisions.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) stated that digital platforms can be held liable alongside sellers for violations “if they fail to act on illicit activities on their sites.”

“Now that the transition period is over, we expect all digital platforms, e-retailers, online merchants, and other concerned parties to abide by the requirements of RA 11967, including the faithful observance of the ‘E-Commerce Code of Conduct’ to protect the consumer interest,” said EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero. “Having monitored the uninhibited sale of many prohibited goods online, we see the law’s implementation like a beaming light at the end of the tunnel.”

The group’s legal counsel, attorney Grip Bueta, said Philippine laws cannot be “static and stagnant” and must “always move with the changing times.”

“As the digital e-commerce space continues to grow and as more sellers and consumers transact online, efforts to protect the people’s right to a clean and healthy environment — through ensuring safe, non-toxic, and non-hazardous products — must also be enhanced in the internet of things. RA 11967’s full effectivity is thus a welcome development,” Bueta said.

EcoWaste emphasized that everyone engaged in e-commerce should follow the law’s Code of Conduct.

“From now on, every person engaged in e-commerce is required to adhere to the Code of Conduct, which affirms that goods and services sold online must conform to regulatory standards, and that products recalled in the offline retail market must not be sold online, among other provisions that recognize and uphold the basic consumer rights to information, choice, product safety, and redress,” the group said in a statement.

They also expressed hope that the online marketplace will become safer with the creation of the E-Commerce Bureau (ECB), which is tasked with implementing, monitoring, and ensuring compliance with RA 11967.

“We are pinning our hopes on the effective and efficient performance of the ECB and other regulatory and law enforcement agencies, backed by an enlightened and empowered citizenry, to finally put a stop to the unrestrained use of e-commerce and social media platforms in the unlawful and unethical advertising, promotion, and sale of dangerous products such as those containing banned hazardous substances,” EcoWaste added.

The group cited examples of dangerous products sold online, including skin lightening products with mercury, paints and similar surface coatings with lead, and other consumer and household goods that do not comply with regulatory standards.