DTI takedown requests for harmful online goods surge 43%
Published Nov 21, 2025 05:16 pm
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has received takedown requests for nearly ₱380 billion worth of goods in the first nine months, aligning with the agency’s efforts to ensure fair trade in the digital space.
In a statement on Friday, Nov. 21, the DTI said takedown requests have risen by 43 percent, to an estimated ₱378.2 billion in listings this year.
The agency screened just over 200,000 online products flagged as harmful or misleading.
Under Republic Act (RA) No. 11967, or the Internet Transactions Act, the DTI was granted the authority to issue a takedown order against products on online platforms following investigation or verification.
Subject to a takedown include goods or services prohibited or regulated under existing laws, such as endangered animals, illicit drugs, fireworks and other explosives, and counterfeit goods.
Also covered are goods subject to a cease and desist order, deemed a threat to public or personal safety, found to compromise financial or personal information, and those that are previously subject to a takedown order but are subsequently reposted online by the seller under investigation.
The DTI, through its Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), has resolved 33,725 consumer complaints from January to September, without a recorded backlog.
FTEB said it has expedited the resolution of complaints through the Consumer Complaints Assistance and Resolution System (CAReS), the agency’s online portal for filing and tracking complaints.
The DTI has confiscated 541,235 non-conforming products, worth approximately ₱130.8 million, in the period.
The agency recorded a nine-percent surge in permits and licenses by the end of September, processing nearly 40,000 registrations with the help of the Integrated Registration Information System (IRegIS).
Through IRegIS, an ease-of-doing-business online platform, consumers and businesses can complete regulatory transactions with fewer steps.
“This shift to paperless operations streamlines frontline services and promotes sustainability,” the DTI said.
As of October, the agency has also strengthened market visibility with 7,558 monitoring activities, up 31 percent from the same period last year.
“These efforts lay the foundation for sustained excellence. The DTI aims not only to maintain these gains but to surpass them in the coming years. This is our pledge,” it said.