IN LIGHT of the recent fire incident in Sitio Hillside, Barangay Talamban last Wednesday, which was reportedly caused by an overheated ceiling fan, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned the public to be wary of purchasing electrical appliances that do not have the mark of approval by the agency.
This is to avoid fire incidents caused by cheap electrical appliances.
In a phone interview yesterday, DTI-7’s chief for consumer welfare and business regulation division Zaide Bation warned the public to purchase only the electrical appliances that have the Philippine Standard (PS, for local products) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC, for imported ones) stickers on them.
Products that have these stickers have passed the safety and regulatory standards imposed by DTI and are therefore safe for use.
“(I am) urging the public not to buy products with suspicious brands and most especially those that don’t have the stickers of approval from us. We would like the public to cooperate,” said Bation.
Bation also advised the consumers to be meticulous enough in choosing electrical appliances before heading off to the counter and look for the sticker on the products.
“These stickers are not hard to spot since they are stuck either on the product itself or on its packaging,” Bation said.
In ensuring that all the electrical appliances that reach the market are guaranteed safe, Bation said that DTI conducts a monthly monitoring in big stores in the province.
They inspect all the products available and on display in the stores and subject them to safety testing.
Appliance manufacturers and importers must first apply for a PS license or ICC certificate from DTI’s Bureau of Product Standards before they are granted the stickers of approval and sell or distribute their products.