The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao Region is urging the public to only patronize Christmas lights brands that adhere to mandatory standards.

The agency emphasized that uncertified ones, or those which do not have Product Standard (PS) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) certificates, may pose danger to the users and their properties as these may cause fire.

DTI-Davao Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said consumers must be cautious in buying holiday decorations, especially if such need electricity in order to work.

“For years now, DTI has really been advocating the use of safe and certified Christmas lights. We want to continuously remind consumers that those which do not meet the standards may cause their lives and properties,” she explained.

As early as September, the agency already started its monitoring activities throughout the region to ensure that the Christmas lights being sold in the local market are all PS or ICC-certified.

All certified Christmas lights are imported with PS marks or ICC stickers. PS marks are for foreign manufacturers with PS Certification Mark License, while ICC stickers are issued to importers with approved ICC. The hologram ICC sticker contains security features that can be verified by inspection with a seven-digit alpha-numeric serial number.

For 2017, all ICC certificates for Christmas lights issued by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) from January 1, 2013 to present are still valid. Starting this year, the validity of the ICC certificates issued for imported Christmas lights shall be for a period of five years.

“Consumers should check that the name of the manufacturer, distributor and trademark are on the product packaging. If they want to gather another proof of the product’s quality and certification, they may also ask for a copy of the actual certificate,” she added.

The mandatory certification of LED Christmas lights or lighting chains shall be implemented by the BPS using PNS 189:2000 as reference to protect the consumers from the proliferation of substandard LED Christmas lights in the local market.

Exempted from the mandatory certification scheme are the following:

• Christmas lights integral in Christmas trees/decors;
• Rope lights;
• Meteor tube lights/stick lights/laser lights;
• Christmas lights using Edison screw lamp holder;
• Battery-operated Christmas lights; and,
• Other types may be exempted subject to further verification by the BPS.

For the complete list of certified Christmas lights, consumers may visit www.dti.gov.ph. Regular consumer updates are posted as well on DTI-Davao Region’s official Facebook page: DTI Region XI.

Meanwhile, DTI released a number of consumer tips when buying Christmas lights. Among them are the following:

•  There must only be three cascades (not more than three sets of 100 bulbs are connected to each other);
• Always turn off the Christmas lights when it is time to sleep. Never light them up overnight;
• Never use sets that have damaged wires and busted bulbs;
• When replacing bulbs, make sure that the replacement has the same wattage; and,
• Always read the instruction manual.

Ambi encouraged the public to report to the nearest DTI office immediately should they find uncertified or substandard products or have been victims of unscrupulous business practices.♦