DTI clamps down on P108K worth of substandard, uncertified products
THe Department of Trade and industry (DTI), through its Fair Trade enforcement Bureau (FTEB), clamped down on P108,000 worth of uncertified products during its technical regulation enforcement in Manila on Monday.
Along with this, the DTI-FTEB also verified Suggested retail Price (SRP) compliance among Basic necessities and Prime Commodities (BNPC) in its price and supply monitoring.
Dti-consumer Protection group (CPG) Undersecretary ruth B. Castelo and FTEB officer-in-charge Director Marimel D. Porciuncula spearheaded the trade department’s monitoring and enforcement teams in visiting two supermarkets and inspecting six firms within Binondo, Manila.
“The intense enforcement has led to the confiscation of 960 uncertified inner tubes worth P53,392 and 1,456 uncertified electrical appliances worth P55,070,” said DTI in a news statement issued on Friday.
Among the electric equipment withdrawn for destruction were electric grills, food processors/mixers, blenders, rice cookers, electric kettles, LED lamps, electrical tapes, and batteries.
Castelo emphasized that FTEB is consistent and steadfast in its enforcement activities. However, she acknowledged the challenge, as sellers of uncertified and substandard products are persistent.
“We do not want to repress the sellers. But, we want to penalize them for still selling substandard and uncertified products while they are well aware that such is prohibited,” said Castelo.
The undersecretary for Consumer Protection group noted, “These products should not even be in the market as they impose risks to consumers’ safety.”
The Trade department pointed out that sellers of confiscated items violated Department Administrative order (DAO) no. 02, Series of 2007, which prescribes the compliance to Philippine Standard Certification Marks Schemes; and DAO no. 01, Series of 2008, which mandates labels of packaging that indicate the consumer products’ nature, quality, quantity, and other relevant information, in the english or Filipino language.
in the first half of the year or from January to June 2022, the FTEB has already confiscated 84,119 pieces of uncertified products worth P21,139,676.89
Meanwhile, through the team’s price monitoring, Castelo affirmed that supermarkets are compliant with the latest SRP bulletin, which was released last May 11,2022.
“Stores are compliant with the DTI SRP bulletin; in fact, most products that we monitored today are being sold in retail at prices that are P1 lower than our SRP,” said Castelo.
Further, she urged supermarkets to offer a variety of goods so that consumers can choose from a wide range of quality and reasonably priced products.
The trade department enjoins consumers to report retailers, distributors, and manufacturers that sell basic necessities above their Srps or uncertified items, through the Consumer Care Hotline at DTI (1-384) or consumercare@dti.gov.ph .