SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Office recently held a Provincial Consumer Quiz Bee as part of the Consumer Welfare Month celebration. Twenty-five (25) participating high schools in the province competed in the quiz, with each school represented by one student.

According to Almira Barbosa of DTI Occidental Mindoro, the quiz bee is one of the department’s initiative to educate consumers on their rights, “Advocacy kasi ng DTI na magbigay ng consumer education sa lahat, [kabilang na ang mga youth]. Sa murang edad pa lang ng mga high school [students], usually mga Grade 9 and 10...dapat alam na nila yung mga batas na pumoprotekta sa mga consumer.”

Francis Yuan Mangubat, Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC)-Basic Education department’s delegate, shared that the activity helped him to become well-versed on consumer rights when he was preparing for the competition, “May mga nalaman po akong batas na hindi ko pa rin alam. Na-expand ang knowledge ko about sa mga rights ng consumer, at ‘yong mga [dapat gawin] bilang consumer…nagkaroon ako ng awareness sa mga consumer education na sine-set forth ng government para protektahan tayo.”

OMSC was hailed champion in the competition, followed by Minley Taneo of Calintaan National High School. The third place was snatched by Zyan Alysa Dañopoc of Colegio de San Sebastian after a tie-breaker with Magsaysay National High School.

The Provincial Consumer Quiz Bee has been part of the annual celebration of Consumer Welfare Month in Occidental Mindoro. However, it came to a halt due to the pandemic in 2020.

Prior to the quiz bee, the DTI Provincial Office conducted consumer education to the 25 high schools, focusing on consumer rights and the 7Rs of sustainability: rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, and repair. This is in line with the year’s theme, GenS: Generation Sustainable, promoting sustainable consumerism. (DSG/PIA Mimaropa – Occidental Mindoro)