DTI Aklan monitors sale of Christmas lights
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Aklan has stepped up its campaign and monitoring against substandard Christmas lights.

Rene Retiro, DTI-Aklan Trade and Industry Development Specialist, urged the public to be extra conscious in patronizing quality Christmas decors that comply with the Philippine standards.

"Buy Chrismas lights marked with tamper-proof Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers. They are quality products since those Christmas lights passed the safety tests. So far in Aklan, there were no violations noted from most establishments monitored by DTI," said Retiro in a radio interview.

Retiro said DTI monitoring started around October in various establishments selling certified and standard Christmas lights with ICC certificate from 2008 to the present.

ICC-marked Christmas decors are regulated by the Bureau of Product Standards to protect the consumers from accidental fires caused by substandard Christmas lights. Under the Department Administrative Order 05:2008, all importers of Christmas lights should secure an ICC certificate prior to the sale and distribution of their products in the local market.
DTI said products should complied with the requirements based on the Philippines National Standard on Christmas lights (PNS 189:2000). Only those importers with ICC Certificate are allowed to affix the ICC marks on their products or product packages after complying the PNS standards.

Consumers should also check if the sets of Christmas lights are labeled with the address and trademark, rated voltage and rated wattage of the lamp, manufacturer’s/supplier’s/distributor’s name, rated voltage and rated wattage of the set; the words, “For indoor use only”; the number of this standard (PNS 189:2000) and the batch/lot number or bar code.”