A new bill by Tarlac Representative Christian Tell Yap aims to put an end to unwanted promotional calls, texts, and emails.
As per the lawmaker, House Bill 270 will be a protective measure for Filipino mobile and email users from unwanted text messages, calls, and emails.
Yap explains that, if turned into law, it will prohibit and penalize “unsolicited commercial or promotional advertisements without the prior consent of the receiver, promoting fair, responsible and less intrusive marketing practices.”
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He added that such unwanted communication can “intrude, disrupt, and disturb” the activities of the recipients.
The bill also wants marketing and sales agents to adopt more responsible and accountable business practices.
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The bill would prohibit the distribution of promotional advertisements via SMS, also known as push messages, to subscribers who didn’t provide consent or opted out.
It would create a “No Call, No Text, and No Email Registries” policy with the help of the National Privacy Commission, which will list the subscribers who don’t want to receive such unsolicited communication.
Moreover, the push messages should have the contact number and identity of the public telecommunications entity (PTE) that distributed the message. Such PTEs are required to have a system that would allow subscribers to opt out.
For numbers and emails not part of the registries, the bill also wants message/email senders and callers to provide an immediate “No” option at the beginning of their communication.
If the recipient immediately chose the “No” option, the caller or sender is prohibited to make any further steps to communicate.
Violators may face a fine of Php50,000 up to Php100,000.