Delivery riders will henceforth be protected from pranksters once a bill seeking to criminalize “hoax ordering," which was approved in a Senate panel, is passed into law.
“We need a law protecting our delivery riders and drivers. It is very timely and relevant. Even after the pandemic, this measure will be relevant because we have now grown accustomed to online services,” said Senator Aquilino Pimentel III.
The bill was contained in the Committee Report No. 273, recently filed by the Senate trade committee chaired by Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
The senator underscored the urgent need to protect delivery riders of all food, grocery and pharmacy delivery services in light of the rising cases of unjust order cancellations and bogus transactions.
The proposed measure prohibits food, grocery, and pharmacy delivery service app providers from requiring their delivery riders and drivers to advance money for the fulfillment of orders.
It also requires these delivery service app providers to establish a mandatory reimbursement scheme in favor of delivery riders and drivers in case of cancellation of confirmed orders.
To facilitate collection against cancelling customers, the bill requires the implementation of Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules which will entail the submission and verification of proof of identity and residential address of customers, subject to compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
“The recent incidents of fake booking and hoax orders are quite alarming. Those acts must be criminalized," said Pimentel.
The proposed law seeks to criminalize several prohibited acts, such as placing of “hoax orders,” cancellation of confirmed orders, and refusal to receive unpaid orders.
The act of using another person’s personal information when registering for any food, grocery, and pharmacy delivery service will also be penalized under the measure.