DTI targets sellers of substandard motorcycle helmets

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has started its campaign against retailers selling substandard motorcycle helmets by inspecting 12 stores in Port Area and Divisoria, Manila. The enforcement activity was led by Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) director Pedro Vicente Mendoza and DTI-NCR staff. According to the DTI, the team found that several motorcycle helmets being sold were either uncertified and without the required DTI-issued import commodity clearance (ICC) sticker, or with "ICC" stickers of dubious authenticity. The items were confiscated by the team for verification and further inspection. A similar campaign was conducted by the DTI-Calabarzon in Calamba City, which confiscated 166 helmets from four establishments. The stores were served notices of violation for selling uncertified helmets. According to Noli Manalo, DTI-Calabarzon’s Product Standards Officer, the stores were found selling brands that were included in DTI-Certified list, but the helmets themselves did not bear ICC stickers. Helmets whose brands are not on the DTI-Certified Brand list and helmets that do not follow approved configuration will also be confiscated. DTI-Calabarzon Regional Director Marilou Quinco Toledo warned that any seller or dealer discovered selling motorcycle helmets without the Philippine Standard (PS) or ICC sticker shall be penalized with a fine ranging from P17,500 to P300,000 and the destruction of the seized products. Tampering, alteration, forgery and imitation of the PS and ICC marks on the helmets shall likewise be penalized with the same fine, without prejudice to other penalties imposed in the Consumer Act of the Philippines (RA 7394). The crackdown against uncertified motorcycle helmets is in accordance with the RA 10054 or the Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2010, which requires motorcycle riders to wear standard protective helmets when traveling. Standard protective helmets certified by BPS went through series of tests prescribed under Philippine National Standards/United Nations Economic Commission (PNS/UNECE 22:2007) to ensure that such helmets comply with the standards to protect riders from injury. Certified helmets made in the Philippines shall bear the Philippine Standard (PS) sticker, while certified imported helmets shall have the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker. As of August 1, only one local manufacturer carrying one brand has been issued the PS license, while 39 importers carrying 67 brands received ICC certificates. - BM, GMA News