JuanHand — Excessive / Undisclosed APR (Online Lending)

How do I file a complaint against an online lending app?

File simultaneously with the SEC Financing and Lending Companies Department (FLCD) — through the SEC I-Message Mo portal (imessage.sec.gov.ph) — for SEC MC 18 violations and with the National Privacy Commission (privacy.gov.ph) for unauthorized contact-list access under RA 10173. Both agencies can suspend the lender's Certificate of Authority and order data deletion; the SEC has revoked the licenses of multiple OLPs since 2019.

What is the maximum legal interest rate in the Philippines?

BSP Circular 1133 (2021), as extended by Circular 1165 (2023), caps the nominal interest at 6% per month and the all-in effective interest (including penalties) at 15% per month for short-term, low-value loans (unsecured, up to ₱10,000, tenor ≤4 months). The Usury Law's ceilings were suspended by Central Bank Circular 905 (1982), but courts may still strike unconscionable rates under Article 1306 of the Civil Code (Medel v. CA, G.R. 131622, 1998).

How long does an SEC complaint take?

SEC's Enforcement and Investor Protection Department (EIPD) typically issues show-cause orders within 30–60 days of a complete complaint and decides administrative cases within 6–12 months. Cease-and-desist orders against unregistered or egregiously violating online lending platforms have been issued in as little as 14 days. Timelines lengthen when the respondent contests the SEC's jurisdiction.

Can I be jailed for not paying an online loan?

No. No one may be imprisoned for non-payment of a debt — this is a constitutional guarantee (1987 Constitution, Article III, Section 20). An unpaid loan is a civil matter, not a crime. The only way non-payment can become criminal is estafa (Revised Penal Code Article 315), which is a separate offense requiring proof of deceit at the time you took the loan — not the mere failure to pay it back. A collector who threatens you with arrest or jail over an unpaid loan is itself committing an unlawful, unfair collection practice under SEC MC 18 (2019) and RA 11765.

How do I know if an online lending app is registered with the SEC?

Check the SEC's published lists. Under RA 9474 §4, no lending company may operate without a Certificate of Authority from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and SEC Memorandum Circular 19 (2019) requires every online lending platform to be reported and recorded with the SEC. A legitimate app appears — by both its company name AND its specific app/brand name — on the SEC's list of registered financing/lending companies and recorded OLPs at sec.gov.ph; names flagged on the SEC's Advisories page are operating illegally. LabanPH cross-references these lists on each company profile it tracks.

What can I do about an unregistered online lending app?

Report it to the SEC — operating a lending company without a Certificate of Authority is a criminal offense under RA 9474 §12, punishable by a fine of ₱10,000 to ₱50,000 or imprisonment of 6 months to 10 years, or both. The SEC can issue a cease-and-desist order, and it has revoked or shut down dozens of unregistered online lending platforms since 2019. If the app also scraped your data or contacts, file in parallel with the National Privacy Commission under RA 10173. LabanPH generates both complaints and tells you exactly where to send them.

How to File a SEC Complaint Against an Online Lending App

Step-by-step guide to filing a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint against a Philippine online lending app — SEC MC 18 (2019), evidence checklist, and the SEC I-Message Mo portal.

sec · online-lending · harassment

How to file a BSP complaint online (2026)

Step-by-step guide to filing a complaint with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas — BSP Online Buddy, consumer email, and the paper Consumer Assistance Mechanism form.

bsp · complaint · consumer-protection

How to document a data-privacy violation for an NPC complaint

How to document a Philippine data privacy violation for an NPC complaint — RA 10173, NPC Circular 16-01, evidence pack, screenshots, and the filing path.

npc · data-privacy · ra-10173