THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Occidental has reminded anew consumers in the province not to buy substandard Christmas lights and other decorations.
Romel Amihan, senior trade and industry development specialist of DTI-Negros Occidental, said buyers have to look for the Philippine Standards (PS) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers to ensure their safety.
Amihan said substandard items are prone to accidents especially fire thus, it puts at risk the safety of the households.
“They should not purchase cheaper yet substandard products,” he said, adding that the safety of the family should not be suffered over the price.
The DTI, in a memorandum, earlier said to ensure that uncertified Christmas lights and lighting sets will not proliferate in the local market, all regional and provincial offices are enjoined to intensify the monitoring and inspection of these products in the market.
There’s also a need to check their conformance to the requirements and guidelines set by the agency.
To protect consumers, the DTI has issued a list of certified Christmas lights manufacturers in time for the Yuletide season.
The list, which can be viewed at DTI Bureau of Philippines Standards website [www.bps.dti.gov.ph], includes the PS licenses and 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.
Those establishments caught selling and distributing uncertified Christmas lights under Republic Act (RA) 4109 or the Standards Law will be penalized with monetary fines and product confiscation.