23/05/2026
POSITION PAPER
Filceb Business Club Inc.
Cebu City, Central Visayas
Philippines
Statement of Strong Opposition to the Proposed DTI Pre-Approval Requirement for Online Advertisements and Promotions
Filceb Business Club Inc., a growing organization composed primarily of small business owners, entrepreneurs, MSMEs, online sellers, and startup operators in Central Visayas, strongly expresses its opposition to the proposed Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) policy requiring prior government permits and approval before businesses can publish advertisements, promotions, sponsored posts, and digital marketing campaigns online.
We believe this proposal creates unnecessary bureaucratic barriers that will severely affect small and medium enterprises already struggling under rising operational costs, inflation, weak consumer spending, high fuel prices, and ongoing economic uncertainty.
In today’s digital economy, speed, flexibility, and accessibility are essential for business survival. Requiring entrepreneurs to wait up to 30 working days and pay substantial compliance fees before posting online advertisements undermines the very nature of digital commerce, where timing and immediate market engagement are critical.
This policy disproportionately harms MSMEs, online sellers, freelancers, content creators, home-based businesses, and startup enterprises that rely heavily on affordable and fast social media marketing platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other digital channels to generate income and reach customers.
Large corporations may have the resources, legal departments, and compliance teams to absorb additional costs and delays. However, small businesses — which form the backbone of local economies and employment generation — will suffer the greatest burden.
Filceb Business Club Inc. respectfully submits that government efforts should instead focus on strengthening enforcement against fraudulent, deceptive, and illegal advertisements without imposing broad restrictions and costly requirements on legitimate entrepreneurs and law-abiding businesses.
We firmly believe that the future of economic growth in the Philippines depends on encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and ease of doing business — not the expansion of regulatory red tape that pdiscourages economic activity.
As representatives of the small business sector in Central Visayas, we respectfully urge concerned government agencies and policymakers to reconsider, review, and suspend the proposed policy in consultation with MSMEs, digital entrepreneurs, business organizations, and stakeholders directly affected by its implementation.
Filceb Business Club Inc. stands for policies that empower entrepreneurs, protect small businesses, and support inclusive economic growth for all Filipinos.
