When a brand-new car turns out to be defective, which law should protect the buyer: Republic Act No. 7394, also known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines, or Republic Act No.10642, or the Philippine Lemon Law? Are these laws mutually exclusive, or can a consumer choose between the two? How should the rights of vehicle buyers be weighed in relation to those of car manufacturers and dealers?
Listen to the #SupremeCourtPH Podcast with guest Atty. Jose Maria G. Hofileña, Member of the Commercial Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy, and Dean of the School of Law of the Ateneo de Manila University.
Supreme Court Chief Communications Officer Atty. Mike Navallo and Dean Hofileña discuss the laws that protect consumers within the context of the case of Department of Trade and Industry v. Toyota Balintawak, Inc. and Toyota Motor Phils. Corp., G.R. Nos. 254978-79, penned by Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr., decided by the Supreme Court Second Division on October 11, 2023.