THE Department of Trade and Industry is now waiting for the new rules on the Import Commodity Clearance that will be implemented soon in order to address the proliferation of counterfeit ICC stickers used on substandard products.

In an interview with Sun.Star Davao, Marizon Loreto, regional director of DTI 11, said the central office of DTI is working on improving the ICC mark being used.

What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers

At present, the ICC mark accorded to importers is in the form of stickers with holograms. However, this still does not deter counterfeits, which continue to proliferate in the market.

"The new one will be embossed on the product itself, rather than stickers," Loreto said.

Loreto said this is one of the moves of the trade department to ensure that all products in the market are of standard and are bearing the authentic ICC mark.

In a statement, the director of the Bureau of Product Standards of DTI (DTI-BPS) has warned the public to purchase only sets of Christmas lights that bear the Philippine Standard (PS) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) marks from the market for good performance of the product and safer Christmas festivities.

"We all know that these Christmas lights surely add glitter and brightness in the much-awaited Filipino celebration of the Christmas season but the DTI would like to keep that joyous celebration far from harm and danger," DTI-BPS Director Jesus L. Motoomull said. "The DTI ensures the consumers of a safer festivity of the Christmas season with PS and ICC-marked Christmas lights."

Motoomull added that Christmas lights are included in the list of DTI regulated products that are covered by the mandatory certification and subject to a series of tests according to relevant Philippine National Standards.

"When a product successfully passes the standard requirements, the DTI-BPS issues the Philippine Standard (PS) License to a manufacturer and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) to an importer, respectively," Motoomull said.

With the PS License and the ICC, a manufacturer and an importer are authorized to use the PS and ICC mark, respectively, on the packages of their sets of Christmas lights.

Christmas lights without the PS or ICC mark are products that pose danger to its users as these have not been inspected according to PNS 189:2000, and may not satisfy the four mandatory requirements for critical parameters, namely, ball pressure, torque, temperature rise, and wire tests, which may bring electric shock and overheating that leads to fire. CPM

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga.

For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here.

(November 29, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.