Government confiscates substandard steel bars

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has seized a total of 11,907 pieces of uncertified and counterfeit steel bars and lighting products from eight establishments in Tarlac as part of the agency’s continuing campaign against substandard products.

Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison Maglaya, head of the Consumer Welfare and Trade Regulation Group (CWTRG), stressed that the safety of consumers is the paramount concern of the DTI.

Thus, the DTI will sustain and continue to intensify its monitoring and enforcement activities nationwide to ensure the public that critical products sold in the market complies with the safety and quality requirements of Philippine National Standards (PNS).

In a recent enforcement operation, the DTI’s Special Monitoring Assistance to the Regional Operations Group Team (SMART), the DTI Provincial Office of Tarlac, with the cooperation of the Coalition of Wiring Devices, the Philippine Iron Steel Institute and the Philippine Wood Producers Association, confiscated 9,478 pieces of uncertified deformed steel bars, 871 units of counterfeit fuses, 613 pieces of counterfeit outlets, 436 pieces of counterfeit switches, 298 units of uncertified compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs and seven rolls of uncertified flexible cords from eight out of the 13 monitored establishments in the area.

Maglaya assured that the DTI "continues its aggressive campaign against substandard products to prevent consumers from wasting their hard-earned money on defective goods, especially in these tough times when every centavo counts."

"Year round, the DTI conducts regular market rounds nationwide to check the compliance of businesses to product standards and trade laws and to curb the pervasive distribution of substandard products in the market," Maglaya said.

The DTI-CWTRG’s Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) led the Special Monitoring Assistance to the Regional Operations Group Team (SMART) in doing on-the-spot inspections in the market as a support to the regular monitoring activities of DTI-ROGs.

DTI-BPS Director Jesus L. Motoomull added that confiscated goods that do not bear the Philippine Standard (PS) or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) mark did not go through the required tests and inspections of the Bureau based on the safety and quality requirements of the Philippine National Standards (PNS) prior sale to the public.

The eight establishments found with uncertified and counterfeit goods are now facing administrative charges for violation of Republic Act 4109, or the Standardization Law, and Section 6 of Department Administrative Order (DAO) 2 Series of 2002 and have been issued notices of mediation meeting to be held at the DTI-Tarlac office.

"The DTI shall impose an administrative fine of P25,000 based on the said DAO to each establishment per violation. Other penalties for the establishments would depend on the results of the mediation hearing sessions between the DTI and the establishments," Maglaya explained.