FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular'Session 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 1329 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 16, provides: 
Section 9. The State shall protect consumers from trade malpractices 
and from substandard or hazardous practices. 
R.A. No. 7394, a.k.a. the "Consumer Act of the Philippines" was enacted to protect 
the interests of the consumer, promote his general, welfare and to establish standards of 
conduct for business and industry. 
These laws recognize that consumers play a key role in the Philippine economy. 
Hence, they seek to protect the rights of consumers and to put a stop to abusive practices 
of business establishments in the country. 
The practice of giving insufficient change or giving no change at all to consumers by 
product sellers or service providers is something that is often taken for granted. This is 
usually because the change involves only a matter of five, ten, fifteen, or twenty centavos, 
or small bills, which when added up at the end of the day, amount to thousands of pesos. 
The failure to give the change or the exact change constitutes a trade malpractice that 
must be stopped. 
This bill seeks to: (a) prohibit the giving of insufficient change or no change at all to 
consumers; (b) to prohibit the giving of change in any form other than money; (c) require 
the posting of signs reminding consumers to ask for their exact change; and (d) require 
the use of pr(ce tags, when appropriate, that will reflect the exact retail price per unit or 
'services, already incorporating the applicable tax or taxes. 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
..!'J ,.: 
Senate BiIl'No.1329.1· 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT REQUIRING BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS TO GIVE EXACT CHANGE TO 
CONSUMERS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title.-- This Act shall be known as the "Exact Change Act." 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy.-- It is the policy of the· state to protect the 
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interests of the consumer, promote his general welfare and to establish standards of 
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conduct for business and industry. Towards this end, the state shall implement measures 
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to achieve the following objectives: 
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A) Protection against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and 
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practices; 
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B) Provision of information and education to facilitate sound choice and the proper 
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exercise of rights by the consumer; 
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C) Provision of adequate rights and means of redress; and 
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D) Provision of penalties for offenders. 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms.--
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A) "Department" means the Department of Trade and Industry; 
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8) "Consumer" means a natural person who is a purchaser or recipient of 
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consumer products, services, or credit; 
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C) 'Business Establishment" means any person or entity, whether single 
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proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, including government-owned and 
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controlled corporations or a government entity exercising its proprietary functions, 
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engaged in, or doing business in the Philippines, either in selling products or 
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providing services; 
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D) "Consumer Products and Services" means goods, services and credits, debts or 
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obligations which are primarily for personal, family, household or agricultural 
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purposes, which shall include but is not limited to food, drugs, cosmetics, and 
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devices; 
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E) "Services" means services that are subject of a consumer transaction, either 
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together with, or separate from, any kind of personal property, whether tangible or 
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intangible; 
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F) "Price Tag" means any device, written, printed, affixed or attached to a 
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consumer product or displayed in a consumer retail or service establishment for the 
, 
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purpose of indicating the retail price per unit or service; 
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G) "Change" means the excess in the payment given by a consumer for products or 
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services purchased or received; and 
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H) "Insufficient Change" means a change that is less than what is due the 
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consumer; 
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SECTION 4. Regulated Acts.-- (A) In General -- It shall be unlawful; for any 
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business establishment to give insufficient change or no change at all to consumers who 
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purchased or received products or services, even if such change is only of a small 
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amount. It shall be the duty of the business establishment to give the exact change to the 
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consumer without waiting for the consumer to ask for the same. 
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(8) Other Prohibitions -- It shall also be unlawful for any business establishment 
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which sells products or provides services to give the change in any other form other than 
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the present currency or to ask the consumer for permission to be exempted from the 
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provisions of this Act for any reason including the non-availability of small bills or coins. 
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(C) Posting of Signs -- It shall be the duty of business establishments to put signs in 
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every counter which states: "Demand Your Exact Change." 
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(D) Price Tags -- It shall likewise be the duty of business establishments to use 
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price tags, when appropriate, indicating the exact retail price per unit or service which 
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already includes the taxes applicable to the goods or services being offered. These 
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establishments shall also put signs in conspicuous places within the establishment or 
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reflect in the official receipts issued, the taxes incorporated in the retail price per unit or 
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services. This is to avoid misleading the consumer as to the exact price they have to pay 
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for the goods or services and consequently, the exact change due to them. 
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SECTION 5. Procedures in Filing a Complaint.--
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A) Not later than ten working days after a violation has been committed, the 
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consumer shall write and submit a letter of complaint to the Department. 
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8) The Department shall, in not more than ten working days after the complaint has 
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been submitted, conduct an investigation and shall issue a notice to the establishment 
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involved. 
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C) After a full investigation shall have been made by the Department, it shall issue 
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its decision and findings not later than thirty days from the receipt of the complaint. 
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SECTION 6. Information Campaign.--
The Department shall undertake to 
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implement an education campaign to inform consumers of the provisions of this Act. It 
, 
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shall regularly publish a list of the establishments found to have violated any provisions of 
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this Act. 
. 
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SECTION 7. Rules and Regulations.-- It 'shall be the duty of the Department, in 
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coordination with other executive departments or government agencies which may be 
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involved, to formulate and issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the 
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provisions of this Act. 
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SECTION 8. Penalties.-- Any violation of this Act shall be punished as follows: For 
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the first offense" a violator shall be fined Five Hundred pesos (P 500.00); for the second 
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offense, a violator shall be fined Five Thousand pesos (P 5,000.00); for the Third offense, 
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a violator shall be fined Fifteen Thousand pesos (P 15,000.00) and the license to operate 
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the business establishment shall be suspended for three months; and for the fourth 
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offense, a violator shall be fined Twenty-five Thousand pesos (P25,000.00) and the 
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license to operate shall be revoked. 
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SECTION 9. Separability Clause.- If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
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remain valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 10. Repealing Clause.- Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or 
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inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
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accordingly. 
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SECTION 11. Effectivity Clause.- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved. 
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