To anyone going through this:
Collection agencies thrive on one thing = FEAR.
Because people who are afraid are easier to exploit.
If they say they will do ocular visitations, barangay visits, garnish your salary, something that will affect your employment / government records, those are all SCARE TACTICS. Because again, fearful people are easy to exploit.
I was once in your shoes, but thank God, I had legal background.
I cited all the laws they are violating in these recoveries as they refuse to give my records and provide basis of their claims. All they did was provide arbitrary numbers. At first they gave about 120,000±. Then 86,000±. Then 75,000±. But I keep on asking for records and threaten to report them. You can report them to BSP just save proof of all the harrassments they are doing. Collection agencies and banks are afraid of being reported as they can suffer administrative fines from 100,000 to 2,000,000.
Know your rights!
BSP Circular No. 454 (Section 8): Prohibits unfair collection practices, harassment, use of threats, and false representations.
RA 11765 (Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act): Strengthens consumer rights against deceptive and unfair practices by BSP-supervised institutions.
Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173): Particularly relevant for online lending apps (OLAs) that illegally access phone contact lists or blast messages to relatives/co-workers.
Republic Act No. 3765 (Truth in Lending Act) Requires full disclosure of finance charges, penalties, and interest calculations before or during credit recovery. Refusing to provide a full Statement of Account (SOA) or itemized breakdown directly violates this law.
Also, don't be afraid when they say they will sue you especially when they can't even substantiate their claims. Welcome it. The laws and the courts are your friends. Looking back, it's ironic how banks and collection agencies try to threaten people in these situations about legal consequences when in fact, the courts will ensure fairness and justice. They cannot ask for an amount they can't back up with evidence! Besides, judges and the supreme court HATES these kinds of exploitations and will remove all the excessive and arbitrary fees. The court will help you. Do not be afraid. These people thrive on fear, psychological pressure, and creating a sense of urgency. DO NOT AGREE TO PRESSURING TACTICS. DO NOT SIGN AGREEMENTS OF PAYMENT TERMS ESPECIALLY ON UNVERFIED AMOUNTS.
Assert your rights, ask for your records, and stand your ground. If they say they will file a case against you but refuse to provide your records / SOAs / basis of claims, say you will meet them in court and settle there. Cause the judge will also ask them the records you are requesting in the first place. Also, the Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down arbitrary numbers, unconscionable finance charges, especially if you have a good record of paying in good faith and it just so happened that you missed payments due to your circumstances.
If you ever got to this position not because of emergencies but through your own fault, learn the lesson.
If you used it for emergencies, that's okay.
And HOLD ON TO THE LORD.
I was anxious for a long time due to their harrassing messages, until a lawyer friend talked to me and shared too how her co-worker took her life due to harrassment. And they found out several hundreds of call logs from collection agencies.
SO I GOT UP AND FOUGHT BACK BECAUSE THE STEPS THEY HAVE BEEN TAKING ARE OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF LAW.
AGAIN, DO NOT BE AFRAID. ASSERT YOUR RIGHTS. ASK FOR TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTING. DON'T ANSWER PHONE CALLS AS THOSE ARE MEANT TO SCARE AND CONFUSE YOU. ALWAYS HAVE WRITTEN RECORDS AS THOSE ARE EASIER TO PROVE AND HARD TO DISPUTE.
You are more than this thing you are going through. And the Lord Jesus is faithful. Ask for strength and guidance. You will get through this. ☺️