ILOILO City – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is reminding consumers in Western Visayas to purchase only certified fireworks to ensure safety and quality.
Certified fireworks have the Philippine Standard (PS) quality mark on their labels or packaging, said DTI-6 officer-in-charge (OIC), assistant director Felisa Judith Degala.
A PS quality mark indicates that the product underwent checking and testing by the DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS).
“Kon wala sang PS mark, ang gwa ‘ya sina indi sia certified. Indi man ‘ta maghambal nga substandard kay ti indi kita sigurado kon substandard gid man sia. Pero ang punto sina wala na sia na-test sang DTI-BPS rason nga wala PS mark. So, ang pagtawag naton is not substandard but uncertified,” explained Degala during an interview with Panay News.
DTI-BPS serves as the National Standards Body (NSB) of the Philippines and is mandated to develop, promulgate, and implement standards for all products in the country, to promote standardization activities in the country, and to ensure the manufacture, production, and distribution of quality products for the protection of the consumers.
Consumers are also cautioned that there are no imported fireworks in the market or those with an Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker, since the fireworks here are all locally manufactured.
As of Dec. 19, there are only 14 DTI-certified brands of fireworks with PS license numbers. These are the following:
* Dragon Fireworks by Dragon Fireworks Inc.
* Diamond by Diamond Fireworks Inc.
* LF Fireworks by Legendary Fireworks Inc.
* Pegasus by Pegasus Fireworks
* Phoenix by Phoenix Fireworks
* Double L by Double L Fireworks
* Nation by Nation Fireworks
* LLF by Leonardo’s Fireworks Manufacturing
* Andy’s Fireworks by Andy Moldogo Firecrackers
* Pyro Kreations Fireworks by Pyro Kreations Fireworks
* Yango Fireworks by Yangco Fireworks Manufacturing
* Star Light by Star Light Fireworks
* A. Santiago Fireworks by A. Santiago Fireworks
* 4Sure Fireworks by 4Sure Fireworks
“I-emphasize naton nga ang makita nga markings sa 14 brands sang fireworks amo ang PS. Wala dapat sa merkado sang imported kay ang imported may ICC mark. So, wala dapat sang makita nga may ICC mark nga fireworks. All must bear only PS mark. Wala kita sang ICC sticker, purely PS mark,” emphasized Degala.
The DTI-6 OIC also said that a distributor, wholesaler, retailer or manufacturer caught selling fireworks without the certification from DTI-BPS will face penalties.
According to Department Administrative Order No. 2, Series of 2007, a retailer may be fined P25,000 per brand of uncertified fireworks.
“Kon makita ang retailer nga you are carrying several brands nga wala ma-certify, ang penalty is per brand,” Degala said.
Earlier, Trade undersecretary for consumer protection group Ruth Castelo advised the public “that certified products would bear the name of fireworks, the classification and intended use, brand or trade name, and address of the manufacturer clearly printed on a single-colored background of the package.”
The packaging should also include the words “Made in the Philippines,” warning and precautionary signs, and appropriate instructions for use and effects.
The PS quality mark and license number should also be displayed on the packaging of each product./PN
