Counterfeit wires and cables seized in QC

Authorities confiscated nearly half a million pesos worth of uncertified electric wires and cables sold in a shop in Quezon City last week, marking the latest major haul of the government in its crackdown on substandard products.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) referenced a single electrical supplies shop as the source of the noncompliant products worth P496,073.

The operation was conducted through the combined efforts of DTI “Task Force Kalasag,” Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

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“This decisive interagency operation sends a clear warning to those who would endanger consumers and undermine fair competition: We are vigilant. We are relentless,” Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said.

“Through close collaboration with our government partners, we will extend our enforcement reach into every corner of the market to eradicate the sale of uncertified and counterfeit products,” he added.

According to the DTI, the seized products were fraudulently labeled with the brand name Hypertech.

The government agency said that the product was also found as fake by the quality assurance team and legal counsel of the Hypertech Wire and Cable Incorporated, the representatives of which were present during the operation.

The confiscated products also bore the Philippine Standard mark without a valid license number, added the DTI, highlighting that it was a clear violation of Republic Act No. 7394, also known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines.