THE recent statements of President Rodrigo Duterte about the Recto Bank incident and on the ensuing issues like allowing Chinese fisherman in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines have created an impression to some that the Chief Executive is favoring Chinese over Filipinos.
The recent action of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) concerning establishments in a “Chinese” food park in Las Pinas City suggests that the current Administration has no preferential treatment policy for the Chinese.
The DTI deserves our admiration for serving the interests of the Filipino public.
The “Chinese” establishments in the concerned food park was ordered closed by the DTI because they obviously want to cater to Chinese customers only.
For the DTI, the actions of establishment in the Philippines that effectively bar service for Filipinos are unacceptable and illegal.
Indeed, when a restaurant’s menu uses only Chinese text or language and the people working in the same cannot even speak the local language or English, such restaurant is effectively saying that Filipinos are not welcome.
DTI rightfully recognized that there is a need to put a stop to any and all business practices that violate the rights of Filipino consumers, particularly those that are discriminatory against Filipinos.
DTI released Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 19 recently which require business establishments to use the English or Filipino languages for their marketing materials. Such marketing materials include signages, billboards, advertisements, brochures, flyers, notices, advisories, labels, price tags, price lists, menus and receipts.
If the DTI so desires, it can promote “preferential treatment” for Filipinos by requiring that main texts of marketing materials should be in Filipino and English and translations in foreign language should be sub-texts only (and not the other way around).
This is the common practice in business establishments, particularly restaurants, in other countries that cater to foreign customers. Food items in a restaurant menu, for example, are written in the local language and English translations are written in smaller fonts.
Like any other law, rule or policy, the challenge for DTI is the implementation of its DAO. We hope that such DAO will not have the same fate as some provisions of our labor laws that prohibit the employment of foreign workers for jobs that can be performed by Filipinos.
