BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO – As the yuletide season approaches, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 6 has issued a reminder for consumers to be watchful of the quality of Christmas decorations available in the market.
Their monitoring of these products has started, said Ermelinda Pollentes, officer-in-charge of DTI-6, including the manufacturers and importers to ensure that they adhere to regulations.
Products found lacking the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and Safety Mark or the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) will lead to the issuance of a notice of violation.
Manufacturers and importers in breach could face fines and possible imprisonment.
Pollentes said one of DTI-6’s concerns is the quality and safety of indoor Christmas lights, which is verified through their Bureau of Philippine Standard.
Consumers are also being reminded to be conscious of product pricing.
“The responsibility of checking prices lies with the consumers, but they have a myriad of choices available in the market,” said Pollentes.
In light of the celebration of Consumer Welfare Month, Pollentes urged consumers to be extra discerning. She advised them to check for proper product labels in line with the Philippine National Standard 189, series of 2000.
Essential details to look out for include the name of the manufacturer, supplier, or distributor, address, trademark, rated voltage and wattage, the indication “for indoor use only”, the PNS 189 Series of 2000 standard, batch lot number or barcode, country of origin, PS Mark for locally produced sets, and ICC marks for imported sets./PN
