THE Mandaue City Council has tapped the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to inspect malls and establishments that are selling Christmas lights in its jurisdiction.

The council approved the resolution authored by City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, who didn’t want the public to buy Christmas lights, lanterns and other glittering decors with substandard quality that may cause a fire.

“Based on our experience, most of the fire accidents during this season are caused by Christmas lights that have substandard wiring and this prompted us to request DTI to conduct an inspection,” Lumapas said in Cebuano.

According to Republic Act 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines, DTI will penalize those caught selling and distributing uncertified Christmas lights.

The DTI recently issued a list of certified Christmas lights manufacturers.

The list, which can be viewed at DTI Bureau of Philippines Standards (BPS) website at www.bps.dti.gov.ph, includes the Philippine Standards (PS) licenses and Import Commodity Clearances (ICC) of each manufacturer.

The PS and ICC certificates are issued to manufacturers or importers of mandatory products after they have undergone checking and inspection for product standards compliance.

Under a memorandum issued by BPS Officer-in-Charge Neil Catajay, a total of seven PS licenses and 171 ICC Certificates were approved for selling and distribution to consumers as of Sept. 30 this year.

“The City Government of Mandaue finds it utterly proper for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to conduct surprise inspection and strict monitoring on the sale of these Christmas lights in the market to protect consumers from the hazards posed by substandard products such as electric shock and overheating that often lead to fire, property damages and even the loss of valued lives,” the resolution stated.

Lumapas said uncertified Christmas lights will be confiscated. KFD