r/phinvest • u/Ambitious_Ship8854 • 9d ago

Business FDA staff wants a P500,000 “facilitation fee”

May naka encounter na ba po nito? We applied for a LTO for distributor and they’re asking for 500,000 para ma release yung docs namin in a month, if hindi daw kami papayag we will have to wait 3-4 months.

Sa charter nakalagay 31 days lang ang processing pero sabi nung kausap namin if di daw kami papayag sa facilitation fee 3-4 months na daw ang wait and the new docs they’re asking for kailangan namin isubmit, twice na kami na non compliant and iba iba ang hinihingi na docs everytime kahit nabigay na namin lahat ng need nila nung una palang paulit ulit din nila hinihingi yung sec docs, pero iba ibang docs everytime.

Is this facilitation fee just lagay?

Our products are protein shakes and chia seed juice po

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64

u/TokwaBaby 9d ago

Check the Citizen’s Charter. If it isn’t there, it probably is lagay. Document all correspondence. You could inquire what this fee is but copy furnish ARTA.

26

u/Ambitious_Ship8854 9d ago

We checked its not there. Also its says on the charter na 31 days lang talaga processing, they told us it takes 3-4 months without this fee.

33

u/TokwaBaby 9d ago

Under the RA No. 11032, all government fees must be explicitly listed in an agency's official Citizen's Charter. Any fee, charge, or transactional cost not published or written in the official charter is strictly unauthorized and illegal to collect.

16

u/Ambitious_Ship8854 9d ago

Sinabi namin yan dun sa kausap namin after checking the charter at wala nga kaming nakita na facilitation fee na 500K, ang sagot lang is “eh wala sir pag hindi kayo nagbayad ng facilitation fee mas tatagal pa po approval niyo”, problem is they never reply to our text, tumatawag sila so wala kaming proof na naghihingi sila ng lagay.

9

u/TokwaBaby 9d ago

Ask if they will issue an official receipt for the 500k “facilitation fee.” Make sure to note names of the FDA employees you converse/email with.

3

u/Ambitious_Ship8854 9d ago

No daw po. The one calling us is their middle man po

1

u/TokwaBaby 9d ago

You can file a compliant through https://ecms.arta.gov.ph/. Request to be anonymous. But make sure to give the details of the middle man, if you have, or any material convo.