DTI intensifies watch on Christmas lights

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/11/19/dti-intensifies-watch-christmas-lights-442382
• Friday, November 20, 2015

By Warren Serrano (DTI-3)

ANGELES CITY -- Beware of fake Christmas lights.

This is the warning of the Department of Trade and Industry Regional Office III (DTI-3) to Christmas shoppers this holiday season as many imported Christmas lights and electronic display materials are peddled in the streets without any assurance of their quality and safety.

With the advice of lawyer Ann Claire G. Cabochan, director of the DTI Bureau of Products Standards ( DTI-BPS) under Memorandum Circular 14-04, DTI-3 Regional Director Judith P. Angeles has instructed DTI personnel in the region to intensify the monitoring and surveillance of Christmas lights in the market, especially those that do not have proper labeling and markings such as the Philippine Standards (PS) mark for locally made products or the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) mark for imported products.

The DTI’s Bureau of Products Standards randomly inspects imported commodities for quality and safety before they are allowed to be sold in the market. Electronic products like Christmas lights are considered mandatory products for certification. Republic Act 7394 mandates that uncertified products are prohibited from being sold or distributed in the market.

Angeles also advised buyers there is a list of 50 valid ICC certificates for imported Christmas lights issued by DTI BPS as of October 9, 2015. The list can be searched and downloaded in the DTI website at the following address: http://www.bps.dti.gov.ph/.