THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Region 2 warned consumers of the dangers and hazards of uncertified and nonconforming products, proliferating during the the pandemic.

DTI-Cagayan Valley Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo urged consumers to be vigilant and to always look for 'PS' marks or 'ICC' stickers when buying products, especially electrical and home appliances covered by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) mandatory certification process.

'[The warning] is not only to ensure product quality, but more importantly, it's for [consumers'] safety,' Ocampo said.

She said it is important that stickers of the BPS, Philippine Standards or PS, and Import Commodity Clearance or ICC are present in the products that consumers buy.

In Isabela, the DTI provincial office's Consumer Protection Division (CPD) enforcement team has seized at least 2,366 uncertified and nonconforming products after inspecting commercial establishments in the province.

The Isabela DTI-CPD enforcement team released a report on Saturday that shows violations by at least five stores, which the team sealed, confiscating its uncertified products.

The initial inventory of confiscated illegal products was estimated at P164,650, which leads the CPD enforcement team to believe that there might be a lot more uncertified products out in the market.

Leading the enforcement team, Elmer Agorto, officer in charge of the DTI-CPD Division, said the uncertified and nonconforming products confiscated included gas lighters, extension cords, light bulbs and electrical home appliances.

Of the five violating firms that were charged, Agorto said four were for PS and one was for price tag.

He said the confiscated products in Isabela did not bear valid ICC stickers or PS quality marks that was in violation of Department Administrative Order 2:2007 and the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 4109 or the 'Product Standards Law.'

Citing these rules and regulations, Agorto said the BPS issues the PS marks and ICC stickers to serve as the consumers' guide and assurance that the products purchased were certified to be of quality and were safety products, conforming to the relevant Philippine national standards.

He said products covered by the BPS Mandatory Product Certification Scheme are required to bear the PS mark or ICC sticker before market distribution.

DTI-Isabela provincial director Winston Singun said despite the limitations and challenges posed by the strict quarantines, they still managed to conduct monitoring and enforcement activities for the safety of the buying public.

Ruth Castelo, DTI undersecretary, lauded the efforts of the consumer protection team of DTI-Region 2 and DTI-Isabela in its relentless efforts to ensure the safety of products being sold in the market.