Uncertified Christmas lights confiscated

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/12/22/uncertified-christmas-lights-confiscated-448447
• Sunday, December 27, 2015

(JTD)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- As people scrambled for Yuletide decorations three days before Christmas, combined teams from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)Pampanga Office, Philippine National Police and Business Permits and Licensing offices of the City of San Fernando and Angeles City on Tuesday confiscated some P180,000 worth of uncertified Christmas lights.

The combined team of authorities enforced the Products Standards Law and the Consumer Act of the Philippines that led to the confiscation of the uncertified lights in the two cities.

Confiscated were around 1,800 sets of Christmas lights estimated at P180,000 from two stores in the City of San Fernando and Angeles City.

The stores were penalized by the DTI P17,500 each for selling mandatory consumer products that did not bear product standard certification.

The DTI said that under the Consumer Act, products like Christmas lights must meet product standards and must have product certification from the Bureau of Product Standards before they are sold in the market.

This certification includes the Philippine Standards (PS) mark for locally manufactured lights and Import Commodity Clearance or ICC sticker for imported Christmas lights.

DTI Pampanga Officer-in-Charge and Division Chief Nathaniel Samson told Sun.Star Pampanga that they have conducted surveillance operations in the past week before the enforcement and confiscation of the uncertified products.

Samson also reminded consumers to check if Christmas lights they are buying or have bought have proper labeling and have been tested.

The DTI had repeatedly cautioned buyers of risks posed by uncertified Christmas like fire and electrocution.