The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) joins the world in celebrating the 2017 World Standards Day (WSD) with the theme “Standards Make Cities Smarter.”
Celebrated every 14th of October, the 48th edition of the WSD celebration focuses on how standards help make our communities better and provide a decent quality of life to their citizens. The annual event also recognizes the dedication and hard work put in by the thousands of experts from the conceptualization phase to the development of standards.
The DTI, through the Bureau of Philippines Standards (BPS)’ celebrates the WSD by organizing a series of events and activities in the 43rd National Standards Week (NSW) that aims to increase the level of awareness of consumers on what standards are, its importance to everyone and how it shapes the world as we know it.
“The World Standards Day and National Standards Week celebrations are a testament that standards play an important role in improving the needs of the government, the businesses, and the consumers – which we all are. And with standards, we will see a future of smart cities where our children can live in,” DTI-Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG) Assistant Secretary and BPS Officer-in-Charge Atty. Ernesto V. Perez stressed.
As the world gears up towards a safer, cleaner and better quality of living, this year’s WSD celebration highlights how standards can be a backbone for building smart cities and respond to challenges specific to a particular city. Standards serve as the pillars of technology that makes everything work together- especially in today’s digital age that fosters smart city developments.
The DTI-BPS, the Philippines’ National Standards Body (NSB) has lined up several activities to further engage stakeholder appreciation and awareness. The BPS sets a Technical Committee (TC) Forum for the Chairperson; Vice-chairpersons; and, members of the BPS Technical Committees (BPS/TC) and relevant stakeholders. The bureau also conducts for the seventh (7th) time, the Standards Essay Writing Contest (SEWC) and the inaugural of the Poster Making Contest (PMC) for secondary level students of public schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) to increase the consciousness on the significance of standards in their daily lives.
The BPS/TC Forum will highlight the contributions of the TC members and other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) that are in the national standards development programs. The conference also aims to provide updates on the standardization activities, accomplishments as well as to strengthen the country’s standards structure.
The Standards Blitz program now makes it easier for BPS to reach out to students. BPS Standards Officers visit schools in the NCR and talks about standards and its significance. For the students to visualize how the products they use are tested for quality and safety, a trip to accredited testing laboratory is in order. Students are given a first look on the processes and procedures that products undergo to ensure that they are safe for daily use.
In addition to the essay writing contest, the 4th Broadcasting Seminar for Bidang Konsyumer members looks to further improve how they gather and report consumerrelated concerns in their areas. In partnership with ABSCBN’s flagship radio station DzMM through the DTI’s Konsyumer At Iba Pa (KATBP) radio program, loyal KATBP listeners and selected participants will experience first-hand how Radyo Patrol Reporters gather information and deliver their news reports.
Another activity that is close to every consumers’ hearts is the Certified Products’ market in the “Diskwento Caravan- Consumer Welfare Month (CWM) Edition” set up along in front of the DTI Trade and Industry Building at 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City. The mini-market will feature products under basic necessities and prime commodities, and certified products with the Philippine Standard (PS) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) marks such as Christmas lights, home appliances, wiring devices, and, motorcycle helmets, at discounted prices.
The activity will serve as a reminder to the general public the importance of checking the PS and ICC marks prior to their purchase of the said products “Standards are integral parts of our day to day lives. Without them, we would not be enjoying the things that we have today. These celebrations are a reminder that we are committed and are continuously working hard to be able to do what we can for our community,” DTI- Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG) Undersecretary Atty. Teodoro C. Pascua emphasizes.
The DTI-BPS, established by the Republic Act No. 4109 and Executive Order No. 133, spearheads the NSW and WSD celebrations for the public to be more aware of how standards can assist them in exercising their rights and responsibilities as consumers.
For more information on the 43rd National Standards Week and to participate in the said activities, call the DTI- BPS at 751.4740/48 or visit www.bps.dti.gov.ph.
