FAIR TRADE GROUP
Neil P. Catajay
Director
Bureau of Philippine Standards
Atty. Fhillip D. Sawali
Director
Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau
James E. Empeño
Director
Philippine Accreditation Bureau
Ferdinand L. Manfoste
Assistant Director
Bureau of Philippine Standards
Atty. Marimel Dancel Porciuncula
Assistant Director
Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau
Ernani M. Dionisio
Assistant Director
Philippine Accreditation Bureau
Neil P. Catajay has dedicated over 20 years at DTI starting in 1999 as a TIDA. He held leadership roles in DTI Employees Union, serving as VP from 2005 to 2007 and later as President. In January 2015, he became Division Chief at BPS, ensuring standards compliance. He briefly served as BPS Officer in-Charge before becoming BPS Director in December 2019. He achieved CESO III Rank in January 2022, showcasing his expertise in trade and industry governance.
Asst. Director Ferdinand Manfoste, a seasoned and experienced leader of DTI with Career Executive Service Eligibility holds the Assistant Director position of the Bureau of Philippine Standards. His work experience in the department covers a wide array of functions starting as a field technician with the Regional Operations group, specifically assigned in field offices of Palawan, Romblon, Regional Offices of DTI Region IV and soon as Special Assistant to the Office of the Undersecretary for Regional Operations Group and Consumer Protection Group. He eventually took on to leadership roles in DTI-National Capital Region, Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau and Bureau of Philippine Standards. Prior to joining the department, AD Manfoste graduated from University of the Philippines-Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He then pursued his Master’s degree in Development Economics at the Institute of Developing Economies Advanced Studies in Tokyo, Japan and at China National School of Administration in Beijing, China.
The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) formerly Philippine Accreditation Office is the national accreditation body of the Philippines to accredit inspection, testing and certifying bodies, and other bodies offering conformity assessment services.
The PAB operates based on PNS ISO/IEC 17011, General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies
The PAB is recognized internationally through its membership to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC), Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) Working Group on Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (WG2) and International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF). PAB is also a signatory to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) for Quality Management System (QMS), Environmental Management System (EMS), Food Safety Management System (FSMS), and Product Certification Scheme of APAC and IAF, Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for testing, calibration, medical and inspection of APAC and ILAC.
Atty. Fhillip D. Sawali is the Director of the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), the chief regulatory and implementing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for protecting the rights and welfare of consumers and for upholding trade laws and industry standards. As FTEB Director, he leads a workforce upwards of 140 that is dedicated to enforcing consumer protection laws and regulations; monitoring prices and supplies of basic commodities; licensing and accrediting certain trade and import activities; and ensuring remedies for complaints involving violations of the Consumer Act of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 7394) and other relevant laws.
Director Sawali has taught constitutional law as a Professorial Lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law. From 2016 to 2022, he served as the chief of staff of the Office of Senator Leila de Lima at the Senate of the Philippines. Also, in various durations from 2010 to 2016, he provided legal assistance as either counsel or consultant to several government institutions including the Office of the Speaker at the House of Representatives, the Office of the Regional Governor in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Batangas State University, and the Office of the President. During his private practice, he co-founded the law firm Belmonte Sison Sawali and Associates, as well as worked at the Camacho and Associates Law Office, and the United Coconut Planters Bank.
Director Sawali is married and has three daughters. He earned his Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines College of Law in 2002. He graduated cum laude in Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the Philippines College of Social Sciences and Philosophy in 1997. He also finished class valedictorian in both elementary and high school in his hometown of Mabini, Batangas where his parents served as long-time government employees. His mother was school principal and district supervisor for the Department of Education. His father was an agriculturist and local councilor.
Atty. Marimel Dancel Porciuncula spent more than half of her age as a public servant. She joined the DTI in 1992 and it is her wish to retire in the agency she considers her home. Currently, she serves as Director III or Assistant Director of the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) of the DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG).
She assists the FTEB Director, the CPG Assistant Secretaries and Undersecretary in the review and effective and efficient implementation of consumer protection, business regulation, and fair trade laws and policies, including technical regulations, and of the Quality Management System (QMS) initiatives of the functional group.
From March 12, 1992 to September 5, 1995, she served as Atty. I, Principal Trademark Examiner II of the DTI-Bureau of Patent Trademarks and Technology Transfer (BPTTT), now known as Intellectual Property Office. She served as Atty. IV and Atty. V of the DTI-Office of Legal Affairs, now known as Legal Service from September 6, 1995 to June 9, 1998 and from June 10, 1998 to January 31, 2016,respectively. From February 1, 2016 to present, she serves as CPG Director III/Assistant Director.
In the interest of the service, sometime between 2017 and 2020, she was designated as Officer-in-Charge-Director for the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau (CPAB) and the FTEB in a temporary capacity.
For her, DTI’s Core Values of Passion, Integrity, Competence, Creativity, Synergy and Love of Country are things she wanted to bring in her post DTI journey.
Assistant Director, Atty. Marimel Dancel Porciuncula obtained her Bachelor of Science in Zoology Degree at the University of Santo Tomas and her Bachelor of Laws Degree from the Far Eastern University. She is a product of retired public servants, married to her first and only boyfriend and a mother of four.