The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), ensures that the Department Administrative Order (DAO) 17-02:2017
and DAO 17-05:2017 are safety measures for consumers as well as businesses.
“These DAOs, 17-02 and17-05, are additional safeguards to protect our consumers from substandard imported cement. They were prepared to assist the cement industry
for safety, traceability and accountability purposes,” DTI – Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG) Assistant Secretary and BPS Officer-in-Charge Atty. Ernesto V. Perez emphasizes.
The DTI – DAO 17-02:2017 and DAO 17-05:2017, specific for the mandatory certification of Portland Cement and Blended Hydraulic Cement with Pozzolan covered by PNS 07:2005 and PNS 63:2006 respectively, states only cement sourced from foreign cement manufacturing plant(s) holding a valid Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark License(s) shall be permitted to be imported in the Philippines; and, that an Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) is now required for all cement importations except those with an operating ICP in the Philippines.
“The DTI-BPS has conducted three (3) public consultations on this administrative order and we have received clarifications, comments and suggestions from relevant stakeholders that we are now carefully studying for possible revisions on the said orders,” Atty. Perez added.
Since the implementation of DAO 17-02:2017, and amended by DAO 17-05:2017, the DTI-BPS has processed sixty nine (69) applications; issued two hundred forty six (246)
PS licenses; seventeen (17) ICC Certificates, thirteen (13) of which are conditional releases; and, thirty nine (39) Certificate of Exemption.
Assistant Secretary and O-I-C Atty. Perez asserts, “The Department is constantly reviewing its policies together with its stakeholders to further improve its certification
system for critical products and create a balance between the needs of the consumers and industries.”
Last year, the DTI-BPS began the review of the DAO 04:2008 or the New Rules and Regulations Concerning the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification
Mark Scheme; and, DAO 05 Series of 2008 or the New Rules and Regulations Concerning the Issuance of the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Under the Product
Certification Mark Scheme. Consultations are continued on the proposed DAO to integrate trade and industry developments simultaneously underscores the protection of
the buying public.
Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary Atty. Perez denies rumors that a graft complaint before the Ombudsman was filed against a DTI Undersecretary on the issuance of DAO 17-
02:2017.
Under the Republic Act No. 4109 or the Standards Law, the BPS is mandated to perform standards development, certification testing, policy and formulation and
monitoring functions. Additionally, the Consumer Act of the Philippines or R.A. No. 7394 states that it shall be the duty of the State to protect the public against unreasonable
risks of injury associated with consumer products.
Portland cement and blended hydraulic cement with Pozzolan are included in the BPS’ List of Products under the BPS Product Certification Scheme that subjects critical
products to inspection and testing methods specific to the requirements of its Philippine National Standards (PNS) prior to its distribution and sale in the Philippine market.
For more information on DAO 17-02: 2017 and DAO 17-05:2017, call BPS at (02) 751.4720/ 751.4708., or send an email to bps@dti.gov.ph. Copies of the said DAOs are
available at www.dti.gov.ph.