“Pranking” delivery riders for the sake of vlogging could put one in jail, not just for a few days but for three years, once House Bill  7559 or the Magna Carta of E-Commerce Delivery Personnel is enacted into law.

The bill, authored by House Deputy Majority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera, primarily seeks to penalize individuals who placed orders in e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee but will cancel transactions upon delivery.

Aside from imprisonment, violators would be fined from P10,000 to P50,000.

The bill also seeks to impose more severe penalties for those who canceled the orders to deliberately play a trick (prank) on the delivery rider and e-commerce seller so one can post it on social media platforms for a video blog (vlog) or fame.

One can be imprisoned for one to three years and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P150,000. He or she must also pay for the item/s and delivery fee.

A public apology should also be issued by the violator, the bill stated.

The proposed measure also pushes cashless payment for deliveries to prevent delivery riders from encountering deceitful customers, according to Herrera.

Individuals who will be found guilty of the act must reimburse twice the cost of the order and the delivery fee in the canceled transaction.

“In order to increase efficiency and protect the welfare of delivery riders whose lives put at stake to keep us safe within our homes, this bill seeks to provide more security measures to these service providers and penalize those who unreasonably and inconveniently cancel their orders upon delivery,” Herrera further said.

“Customers are more responsible for their purchases when they opt to pay online and in advance, while delivery riders simply transport the items to the customers’ homes without having to bear the costs,” she added. (Daily Tribune)