DTI steps up crackdown on sale of uncertified products

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has intensified a crackdown on the sale of uncertified products, including vehicle tires and steel items, through a series of crackdown on unregulated goods.

Through its fair trade enforcement bureau, the DTI said it had inspected retail firms in Cebu from Sept. 1 to 2, sealing and preventing the sale of 81,649 pieces of uncertified vehicle tires, G.I. steel pipes, deformed steel bars, and low carbon steel wires worth P14.7 million.

It also conducted a similar operation in Davao del Norte from Sept 15 to 16, where it clamped down on 1,765 pieces of uncertified products worth P830,520.

These products include self-ballasted LED lamps, PVC electrical tapes, plugs, socket-outlets, snap switches, BI and GI steel pipes, low carbon steel wires, pipes for potable water supply, uPVC rigid electrical conduit, ceramic plumbing fixtures, lead-acid storage batteries, inner tubes for tires and tires for automotive vehicles.

A third operation was conducted in Malolos and Meycauayan, Bulacan last Sept. 22, sealing 1,472 pieces of uncertified low carbon steel wires, vehicle tires, and lead acid storage batteries worth P1.6 million.

The DTI said that out of the 37 firms inspected, 23 were found to be non-compliant and were issued notices of violation, thus mandating erring stores to submit an explanation within 48 hours from the receipt of the notice.

“The DTI and its provincial and regional offices are one in ensuring that only certified products are being sold in the market; hence, as part of our regular function all of our enforcement teams regularly go out to check products under the mandatory certification,” Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, who heads the department’s consumer protection group, said in a statement.

Aside from boosting consumer protection, Castelo said that enforcement operations were a great way to educate businesses about mandatory certification needed for their businesses.

The DTI said its nationwide campaign against uncertified goods and products in the market highlighted the enforcement of the agency’s technical regulations which mandate compliance with the Philippine Standard Certification Mark Schemes.

From January to August of this year, the DTI has already sealed 113,825 pieces of nonconforming products with an estimated retail value of P34.3 million.