Tags: Consumer Electronics, Household Products, Special Occasions
By Marjorie Gorospe
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – If you plan to save money and buy cheap and substandard Christmas lights for your house decoration, better think twice.
While consumers might be tempted to buy cheap Christmas lights, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned that these substandard lights might pose danger to lives and property.
According to DTI Region 8 Consumer Welfare Division Chief Felix Cinco, consumers must always look for the Philippine Standards and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) marks when buying Christmas lights as these are regulated products in the country.
Under the Product Certification Scheme of the DTI-Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS), a regulated product (or products covered by mandatory certification) is submitted for a series of tests before distribution in the market.
He added that the DTI offices across the country have been monitoring business establishments selling Christmas lights to ensure the safety of the consumers since September, which traditionally signals the start of holiday season in the Philippines.
Cinco also stressed that consumers must only buy products that have undergone thorough inspection by the government.
The official adds that there is no guarantee that Christmas lights that have not been inspected meet the four mandatory requirements for these products including ball pressure, torque, temperature rise, and wire tests. Substandard lights can cause electric shock, overheating, and fire.
A DTI-certified Christmas light, according to Cinco, has a wire with outside diameter size of 1.5 millimeter and the pin of the plug should not be easily bent.
Cinco also urged consumers to report any establishment selling substandard products, not only to guard consumers from unfair trade, but also for their safety from possible damages that these uninspected products may cause
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