NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES , ) 
First Regular Session 
)
Of Nh11 :§? r etiU'tJ
■22 AUG-8 P2-43
SENATE 
S. No. J 1 Of?
RiiCtiVLD ev.
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND USERS AGAINST FORCED E-BILLING, 
ADDING FOR THIS PURPOSE A NEW PROVISION AND AMENDING 
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7394, OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE CONSUMER ACT OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND PROVIDING 
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In the recent years, paperless billing was introduced wherein bills and receipts 
for the transactions consummated by the consumer are not anymore printed and 
sent to the registered billing address of the consumer as traditionally done, but are 
instead sent through electronic mail and other medium of communication. Among 
the companies that implemented paperless billing are banks, telecommunication and 
insurance companies. Paperless billing has several benefits Including eliminated cost 
of printing, eliminated cost of delivery, improved security, faster sending of bills and 
receipts, faster payments, reduced consumption of paper, and reduced waste.
It is without doubt that paperless billing is beneficial to our people and our 
environment, and its promotion should be encouraged. However, consumers should 
still be given the option to receive printed bills and receipts for their perusal and this 
should not bear any cost to them.
A number of establishments have been charging extra fees to consumers and 
clients who opt to continue receiving printed bills and receipts. In 2018, the


Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) addressed this through coordination with 
other government agencies and the private sector to ensure that consumers need 
not pay additional fees when they opt to receive a paper billing statement via mail. 
The DTI "encourages every consumer to assert their rights. Two of the eight (8) 
basic rights of consumers are their rights to information and to choose. Hence, 
consumers must be informed of the said sudden move to paperless transactions, as 
well as, must be able to decide which they prefer between receiving billing 
statements via electronic mail (e-mail) and mail."
An inter-agency committee on telecommunication composed of the DTI, 
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National 
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and National Privacy Commission (NPC) was 
formed to come up with a policy to address consumer complaints such as paperless 
billing, among others.
Republic Act No. 7394, otherwise known as 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. 
Article 52 of the law provides for "Unfair or Unconscionable Sales Act or Practices" 
and violation of the aforementioned rights are violations of this law.
To make this policy clearer and more defined, this measure proposes an 
amendment to R.A. 7394 by adding a new Article which declares that billing 
statements and other transaction documents may be sent either in printed or 
electronic form to the consumers without any additional cost.
The DTI, in the position paper dated January 6, 2020 that they submitted to 
the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship expressed their 
support for the passage of the proposed legislation. DTI also enumerated reasons 
for the passage of the same, to wit:
"In a survey conducted by the US-based Consumer Action, a
national non-profit organization working to advance consumer


literacy and protect consumer rights, 45-74 percent of respondents 
chose paper-based billing over e-biliing especially in transactions 
related to insurance, utilities, medical, mortgages, credit cards and 
property taxes.
Respondents said that paper-based billing provides a sense 
of security to a segment of the population, who are not tech-savvy, 
have difficulty in using a computer or lack access to the internet 
Consumers are also confronted with fear of data breach; putting 
their personal information at risk of being stolen or abused.
In addition, there is evidence that consumers bear the 
burden of printing bills (cost of paper and ink) defeating the 
claimed benefits of e-billing.
Forcing consumers to shift to e-billing (and in some cases, 
being charged additional fees) diminishes consumers' entitlements 
to the abovementioned rights. Service providers may entice their 
clientele Into choosing paperless billing (i.e. through information 
campaigns and incentive system such as rewards / points / rebates 
commensurate to the cost of printing bills and delivery, among 
others), without removing the option of paper-based billing that is 
free of charge."
This measure was reported out by the Committee on Trade, Commerce and 
Entrepreneurship in the 18th Congress.
In this light, the immediate passage of this bill is highly recommended.
RAMO^BONG REVILLA, JR.


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE 
1106
S. No.
A ■: r. 
•
of t!j?
■22 AUG-8 P2-43
RCCEIVED &'■
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JIR.
AN ACT
PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND USERS AGAINST FORCED E-BILLING, 
ADDING FOR THIS PURPOSE A NEW PROVISION AND AMENDING CERTAIN 
PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7394, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
CONSUMER ACT OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR 
VIOLATIONS THEREOF
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. A new Article 51-A is hereby inserted in Republic Act No. 7394,
2 
otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines, to read as follows:
3 
"ARTICLE. 51-A. BILLING STATEMENTS AND OTHER
4 
TRANSACTION DOCUMENTS MAY BE SENT IN PRINTED OR
5 
ELECTRONIC FORM AT THE OPTION OF, AND WITHOUT ANY
6 
ADDITIONAL COST, TO CONSUMERS. THE CONSUMERS' RIGHT
7 
TO SELECT THE MODE IN WHICH THEY RECEIVE THEIR
8 
BILLING STATEMENTS AND OTHER TRANSACTION
9 
DOCUMENTS MAY NOT BE CONDITIONED ON THE VALUE OF
10 
THE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES PROVIDED IN THE
11 
TRANSACTION."
12 
Sec. 2. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held Invalid or
13 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
14 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.


1 
Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
2 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or
3 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended
4 
accordingly.
5 
Sec. 4. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
6 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,