Consumer Month to focus on sufficient, affordable food

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Consumer Month to focus on sufficient, affordable food

By Venus G. Villanueva

KALIBO, Aklan, October 1 (PIA) -- This year’s celebration of Consumer Welfare Month in October will be zeroing in on ensuring sufficient, safe and affordable food for all.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) leads this year’s observance with the theme "Sapat, Ligtas at Abot-Kayang Pagkain Para sa Lahat."

The celebration of Consumer Welfare Month, according to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Aklan Provincial Director Diosdado P. Cadena, Jr., is pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 1098 dated September 26, 1997.

"Every year, a lead agency is being chosen by the National Consumers Affairs Council (NCAC). This year, it is the turn of the DA to lead the celebration," Cadena said.

Cadena said the DTI had already taken several turns in leading the celebration since 1997.

For its part, it has lined up several activities here to observe Consumer Welfare Month.

These include hanging of streamers, Fair Trade Laws Monitoring, Standards Monitoring of Christmas Lights, Price Monitoring, and Information Dissemination on Consumer Rights, Responsibilities and FTLs through broadcast media.

The DTI will also hold a forum on Consumerism, Products Standards and Safety Showcase, and Training on Proper Handling of Consumer Complaints.

Target participants to the forum, which will be held October 17 at the ACP Centerpoint in Kalibo, are consumers coming from various sectors – academe, students, professionals, NGOs, civil groups, civil society and government.

The Training on Proper Handling of Consumer Complaints, on the other hand, will be held on October 26 also at the ACP Centrepoint with frontline staff of business establishments as participants.

Having a trained staff to handle consumer complaints, according to the DTI, is very important so that problems arising between the consumer and the establishment could be resolved the shortest time possible.(VGV/JCM/ PIA 6 Aklan)

Cabatuan.com - Kasimanwa.com - Diosdado Cadena Jr.