Public, stores warned of substandard products

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Northern Mindanao warned the public against sub-standard Christmas lights and other decorations sold in stores in the region.

Lawyer Lester Brillantes, DTI-Northern Mindanao’s legal officer, said the trade agency will conduct spot inspections anytime soon to make sure that Christmas decorations, especially those electric-powered products, are safe for use and have passed safety standards.

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He also warned storeowners selling sub-standard Christmas decorations of closure if found violating the law on product standardization.

He said all products must be tagged with Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) or Philippine Standard stickers before it can be sold to the market.

Brillantes said a task force targeting establishments selling Christmas decorations has readied the team to enforce monitoring and random inspections in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) in the region.

The lawyer suspected several stores in Cagayan de Oro selling unfit Christmas decorations lacking ICC seal that may cause conflagration.
 
However, Brillantes withheld the identities of the stores but the task force has listed priorities for confiscation or closure.
 
The task force, he added, is determined to enforce the law until December 30, 2011.

Stores found violating the provisions of the standardization law will be fined P25,000 for the first offense and P50,000 in the succeeding offenses, while confiscated substandard products will be destroyed.

“They should not sacrifice the safety of their customers,” he said to storeowners and urged public not to patronize substandard Christmas products.

“To be sure, they (public) must look for the ICC seal on every product they buy,” he added.