- Ordinance pushed to protect delivery riders from unpaid orders
A LAWMAKER pushed for an ordinance penalizing customers who maliciously refuse or fail to pay for orders from delivery riders.
Proponent Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang expressed his disappointment during Tuesday’s session over customers who deliberately refuse to pay the delivery riders.
“This is unfair to these ordinary workers. They just want to earn a living now. Here you are ordering some food, but because the item was not delivered on time, brought about by traffic, the customers will not pay anymore. This is discriminatory in nature,” Dayanghirang said.
He added that it is the policy of the city government to ensure fairness, safety, and protection for all delivery service workers, whether independent, app-based, or employed, who provide essential services to the public.
“The city condemns acts of fraud, deception, and malicious refusal to pay for delivered goods that result in financial loss and emotional distress to delivery drivers,” he added.
The proposed ordinance applies to all customers within Davao City who order goods or services through online delivery platforms; Independent or app-based riders, and delivery services contracted by local establishments.
The prohibited acts include maliciously refusing to pay for the delivered goods or services after confirming an order; intentionally avoiding the delivery driver upon arrival of the order; providing false information, such as fake address, fake name, or unreachable contact detail, resulting in incomplete delivery; cancelling an order without justifiable cause after it has been fully prepared, dispatched, or paid in advance by the rider; and coerce, insult, or harass delivery riders to avoid payment.
Customers will be fined P3,000-P10,000, required to do a mandatory public apology to the delivery rider and community service of not less than 16 hours, and/or imprisonment.
It stressed that if the rider paid in advance, the offending customer must refund the full cost of the product or service.
Higher penalties are imposed if the customer insults, humiliates, or harasses the delivery driver; records or posts defamatory content about the delivery driver; or is proven to have done so intentionally to create viral content.
Delivery riders can file a complaint with the barangay or police station and provide a certified copy of delivery receipts, chat logs, or app records as evidence. In cases of dispute, they can
