DTI launches nationwide campaign vs pyramiding

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is launching a joint nationwide education campaign with the Direct Selling Association of the Philippines (DSAP) to make the public more aware about pyramiding activity.

Trade and industry Undersecretary Adrian S. Cristobal said the DTI is adopting a three-pronged approach.

The first approach is to evaluate marketing plans of companies that are the subject of inquiries from the general public.

Second, Cristobal said, the DTI pursues administrative action, and if necessary, prosecutes cases.

The third approach is through continous information campaign so that consumers will have the necessary knowledge to determine if certain schemes are pyramiding or not.

The joint campaign of the DTI and DSAP will focus on teaching people the elements of whether a marketing scheme is pyramiding or not.

Cristobal pointed out that government has limited resources, "but this shouldn’t stop us from pursuing alternative avenues to live up to our mandate."

The joint education campaign with DSAP, Cristobal said, would "enhance our capability to share or transfer knowledge to a greater number of people."

Cristobal warned that pyramiding schemes are becoming more and more sophisticated, "that is why education becomes even more imperative."