3RD QUARTER, 2017
PRA makes retail’s voice heard
in retail-related bill hearings
Philippine Retailers Association
President Atty. Paul A. Santos
has been active in participating
in public hearings of pending
bills affecting the
retail industry to
let the retailing
industry be heard
and
considered
in passing new
regulations.
“will firm up the gains of consumers, both
buyers and recipients of gift checks, from
Department Trade and Industry orders
issued for the same purpose since July 12,
2014.”
Tax Reforms Public
Hearing
In a public hearing he
attended last month on
the proposed sugar-sweetened beverages
tax which is part of the House Bill 5636
or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and
Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, President Santos
expressed the PRA’s support to the
position that the proposed excise tax of
sugar-sweetened beverages should be
based on the actual sugar content as
opposed to the per-volume based stated
in the House Bill 5636.
“The PRA believes that the proposal,
considering the interests of all
stakeholders, is fair since its purpose
include revenue generation and health
promotion,” he added.
Also included in HB 5636 is the issue
on Interconnectivity (Proposed Issuance
and Reporting of Electronic Receipts and
Sales/Commercial Invoices and Electronic
Real-Time Reporting System), which was
discussed early September.
The Senate Committee on Ways
and Means said it will consider all of
stakeholders’ position and views and
points will be regarded in drafting the
proposed tax reforms.
Non-expiry of Gift Checks
Another issue that the PRA has been
following is the proposed act on “non-
expiry of gift checks”, in which the PRA
has earlier proposed to increase the
validity for five years instead of totally
removing expiry.
However, Senate Bill 1466 or the Gift
Check Act of 2017 has been passed on
Second Reading in the Senate last month,
in which Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said
defined by the bill.
The bill however
excludes from the
no-expiry date the
following: GCs issued
to customers “under
loyalty,
rewards
or
promotional
programs,
as
determined by the
DTI” and coupons
and vouchers as
To offer equal protection for issuers and
accredited merchants the bill provided
for instances when the GC may not be
honored, such as when the gift check is
lost due to no fault of the issuer or when
the gift check is mutilated or defaced due
to no fault of the issuer and such damage
prevents the issuer from identifying the
security and authenticity features thereof.
Based on the bill’s definition, a coupon or
voucher is “any instrument issued to any
person, natural or juridical, for monetary
consideration or otherwise, that entitles
the holder to a discount off a particular
good or service, or that may be exchanged
for a pre-identified good or service
specified on the instrument.”
Bills to end “ENDO”
The House of Representatives on the other
hand has formed a technical working group
to consolidate 25 pending bills pertaining
to “endo” which will include the authors of
the bills, representatives of the different
labor groups, the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI), and other concerned
agencies to consolidate these bills.
PRA has earlier expressed its opposition
to the total ban of contractualization
and stressed that upon passage, will
likely prevent local retailers from quickly
responding to changing economic and
business conditions as well as may restrain
innovation and discourage entrepreneurs
from implementing new business models
in the future, hindering job creation.
PRA’s Women
leaders hailed in
international awards
The
Philippine
R e t a i l e r s
Association
(PRA)
Vice
Chairman
Ma.
Alegria
“Bing”
Sibal-Limjoco
was
named
as one of the
a w a r d e e s
of
the
2017
International
W o m e n ’ s
Entrepreneurial
C h a l l e n g e
( I W E C )
Foundation,
while PRA Secretary General
Evelyn Balmeo-Salire was named
as one of the Association
Executives of the Year in the
first-ever APAC 2017 Industry
Association Awards.
Limjoco’s and Salire’s latest recognitions
have scored PRA another victory as an
organization managed by multi-awarded
women whose leadership are not
only recognized locally, but also in the
international arena.
IWEC is a New York-based non-profit
organization whose mission is to connect
and develop a global network of successful
women business owners.
The APAC Industry Association Awards
program on the other hand honors
individuals and associations across
Asia and the Pacific Region that are
making significant contributions to the
improvement of their communities.
In its statement, APAC 2017 Industry
Association Awards said it has chosen
Salire as an awardee for her exceptional
transformational leadership in making
PRA into an excellent organization that
is true to its mandate of delivering to its
members and stakeholders a culture
of
professionalism
in
association
management and making a significant
contribution making members more
globally-competitive.
Last year, Limjoco was also recognized by
the Philippine Council of Associations and
Association Executives (PCAAE) “Ang Susi”
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