LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – As the holiday season approaches, the Department of Trade and industry (DTI) Ilocos Norte is warning the public to watch out for unsafe Christmas lights and to always check for the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and Safety Mark and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker before purchasing.
During an interview on the Danggay iti Panagdur-as (Partners for Change) radio program on Dec. 11, Amelia Galvez, OIC provincial director of the DTI Ilocos Norte explained that looking for these stickers are important because they indicate that the product has undergone inspection and passed quality and safety tests.
The PS mark, issued by the DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS), certifies that a product meets the country’s quality and safety standards.
The DTI-BPS is the National Standards Body (NSB) of the country that is mandated to develop, disseminate, and implement the set standards for all products sold in the country. The bureau also ensures the production and distribution of quality goods for the protection of consumers.
Meanwhile, the ICC sticker is used to ensure the safety and quality of imported electronic products.
“Christmas lights are among the products under DTI-BPS that need mandatory certification. When it is a locally manufactured Christmas lights, we look for the Philippine Standard Mark but if it’s an imported product, we look for the ICC sticker. These are the two stickers the public need to look out for when buying Christmas lights to ensure that they are safe to use,” Galvez said.
Galvez stressed the importance of buying high-quality Christmas lights to prevent risks such as overheating and fire incidents.
“I want to reiterate the importance of checking for the safety stickers because this will indicate that the products passed quality checks and are safe. Buying substandard Christmas lights can lead to overheating or fires. We want our consumers to be safe this festive season,” Galvez added.
The PS mark is the globe-shaped sticker located at the packaging of electronic goods which has a check mark inside it with the license number at the bottom.
The ICC sticker, on the other hand, is a holographic sticker that has the product’s license number and a Quick Response (QR) code.
When scanned, the QR code will display the details of the importer including its name, address, contact details, other products, types, and models they produce, and the ICC certificate number.
Galvez also warned consumers to inspect and verify the safety stickers for its legitimacy.
To verify the ICC sticker, the DTI suggest using their mobile application called “ICC Verification System.”
Consumers need to scan the QR code through the application where it will show the products serial number and manufacturer’s details.
If the sticker is fake, the app will display ‘No record found.’
To verify PS marks, consumers can contact the BPS Standards Conformity Division (SCD) via hotline +632 7791-3130 or 3131 or 3329 or 3330 or email at [email protected].
Consumers can report fake ICC and PS marks using the same hotline numbers.
The public is also encouraged to report any violators they encounter, as doing so promotes community responsibility and helps ensure the safety of the community. (CCMT/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)
