Senator Lito Lapid filed a bill in the Senate that would penalize a customer’s repeated and unjustified cancellation of food and grocery deliveries.
Such cancellations force delivery drivers to shoulder the cost of the unclaimed goods.
Lapid authored Senate Bill 1677, which seeks to implement one month and one day up to six months jail time for a customer guilty of canceling orders at least thrice in a month.
The violator should also pay a fine, not exceeding P100,000.
The bill also requires delivery service companies to set up a reimbursement scheme that would protect their riders and drivers, in case of cancellation of already paid orders.
Delivery service providers that would fail to do so could pay fines not exceeding P500,000, and twice the amount of unreimbursed payment to their partner delivery rider.
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The company should return the out-of-pocket spending of the delivery persons for canceled orders within one day from the cancellation of orders.
“To facilitate collection against cancelling customers, this bill also requires the implementation of Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules, which will entail the submission and verification of proof of identity and residential address, subject to compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” the Senate press release said.
“Masakit isipin na sa kabila ng panganib na hinaharap ng mga delivery rider para lamang makapagserbisyo sa mga customer at kumita ng maliit na halaga, sa huli, sila pa ang naloloko. Bukod sa nasasayang ang oras at salapi ng mga riders dahil sa pagkansela ng order, ang mas malala pa, may mga pagkakataon na ni hindi matunton nag address ng nanlokong customer dahil sa fake address. Hindi tuloy sila mapanagot at naiiwang lugi at abunado ang mga delivery riders,” Lapid said.
“Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon lalo’t nasa gitna tayo ng pandemya, lahat naman tayo ay gustong kumita. Kaya humahanga tayo sa mga gaya ng service riders na gumagawa ng paraan para kumita sa legal na paraan at malaki pa ang naitutulong nila para hindi na lumabas ng bahay ang ating mga kababayan. Kaya para masiguro na hindi na sila maloloko pa ng mga biglaang pagkansela ng order, dapat masiguro na ang mga umoorder ay magbibigay ng totoong pangalan at address,” Lito Lapid added.
