Salient Provisions of Republic Act No. 3765 (“Truth in Lending Act”) It is the policy of the State to protect its citizens from a lack of awareness of the true cost of credit to the user by assuring a full disclosure of such cost with a view of preventing the uninformed use of credit to the detriment of the national economy. Definition of Terms “Board” means the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of the Philippines. “Credit” means any loan, mortgage, deed of trust, advance, or discount; any conditional sales contract; any contract to sell, or sale or contract of sale of property or services, either for present or future delivery, under which part or all of the price is payable subsequent to the making of such sale or contract; any rental-purchase contract; any contract or arrangement for the hire, bailment, or leasing of property; any option, demand, lien, pledge, or other claim against, or for the delivery of, property or money; any purchase, or other acquisition of, or any credit upon the security of, any obligation of claim arising out of any of the foregoing; and any transaction or series of transactions having a similar purpose or effect. “Finance charge” includes interest, fees, service charges, discounts, and such other charges incident to the extension of credit as the Board may be regulation prescribe. “Creditor” means any person engaged in the business of extending credit (including any person who as a regular business practice makes loans or sells or rents property or services on a time, credit, or installment basis, either as principal or as agent) who requires as an incident to the extension of credit, the payment of a finance charge. “Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, or other organized group of persons, or the legal successor or representative of the foregoing, and includes the Philippine Government or any agency thereof, or any other government, or of any of its political subdivisions, or any agency of the foregoing. Each person to whom credit is extended, prior to the consummation of the transaction, shall be furnished a clear statement in writing setting forth, to the extent applicable and in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Monetary Board, the following information: the cash price or delivered price of the property or service to be acquired; the amounts, if any, to be credited as down payment and/or trade-in; the difference between the amounts set forth under clauses (1) and (2); the charges, individually itemized, which are paid or to be paid by such person in connection with the transaction but which are not incident to the extension of credit; the total amount to be financed; the finance charge expressed in terms of pesos and centavos; and the percentage that the finance charge bears to the total amount to be financed expressed as a simple annual rate on the outstanding unpaid balance of the obligation. The disclosure statement in writing is a required attachment to the credit transaction contract. The borrower has a right to demand a copy of the disclosure statement.