Iloilo city: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is urging consumers in Western Visayas to buy certified and product standard-compliant Christmas lights and fireworks to enjoy the holiday season. DTI Western Visayas Assistant Regional Director Mutya Eusores, in a press conference on Wednesday, said buying certified and compliant Christmas lights can help protect households from fire, electrical hazards, and other risks posed by substandard items. 'By following precautionary measures, we consumers can also enjoy fireworks safely while celebrating the season. We can never compromise safety,' she added.
According to Philippines News Agency, DTI Consumer Protection Division chief Grace Benedicto stated that Christmas lights are covered by mandatory certification and should bear the Philippine Standard (PS) mark for locally produced products and import commodity clearance (ICC) for imported products. Importation of fireworks is not allowed, so they should only bear the PS mark because they are locally produced, she said, adding that there are 14 local brands of fireworks that are certified by the Bureau of Philippine Standards.
'Before we purchase products in the market, we should check the marks of certification, whether an ICC or PS mark for Christmas lights or PS marks for fireworks,' Benedicto emphasized. Across the region, DTI has monitored 172 types of Christmas lights, considering brand, description, and serial numbers, in 46 stores, and they were found to have complete markings. "Based on our monitoring, all products that were reported during the monitoring were compliant," she said.
Meanwhile, DTI OIC Regional Director Ma. Dinda Tamayo mentioned that the current monitoring covered only Christmas lights. They are expected to start with the monitoring of firecrackers once local government units have already identified their firecracker zones or areas where selling is allowed. The DTI also warned sellers against displaying uncertified products. Violators will be fined PHP25,000 and their products confiscated.
