Senate OKs P10.6B DTI budget in under an hour

The Senate Finance Committee approved the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) proposed P10.6-billion budget for 2025 in under an hour on Tuesday.

Of this amount, P6.4 billion is allocated to sustain DTI operations and programs, while nearly P2 billion will support its attached corporations such as APECO, CITEM, and SBC.

The DTI has a 91 percent budget utilization for 2023 and currently stands at 79 percent utilization as of June 30, 2024, with plans to fully utilize the fiscal year 2024 budget.

Mary Jean Pacheco, DTI's undersecretary for e-commerce, requested P347.4 million to establish the E-Commerce Bureau and hire 80 staff members to implement the Internet Transactions Act (ITA).

Senator Mark Villar, who authored the ITA, pledged support for the budget and urged the DTI to fast-track implementation to protect consumers and require online platforms to disclose seller information.