DTI confiscates P13 million worth of uncertified home appliances in Bulacan

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday said it has confiscated some P13.217-million worth of uncertified and non-compliant household appliances which were being sold online without the required markings, in a recent enforcement operation in Bulacan.

In an advisory, the DTI said the confiscated appliances were over 3,000 items of electric kettles, fans, pressure cookers, rice cookers, multi-cookers, induction cookers, and blenders.

The products, covered by the Bureau of Philippine Standards’ Mandatory Certification process, were found to have lacked the mandatory Philippine Standard (PS) marks and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers.

The DTI did not specify on the owner of the Bulacan establishment, but said it has already issued a notice of violation (NOV), and has required it to respond with an explanation within 48 hours.

“The DTI’s nationwide E-Kalasag operations, a regular enforcement activity of the FTEB (Fair Trade Enhancement Bureau), will continue to relentlessly remove uncertified and substandard appliances from the market to ensure the safety of Filipino consumers,” the agency said.

Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Roque earlier announced a September 30 deadline for online sellers to have their products checked and registered for the E-Commerce Philippine Trustmark, a seal that certifies that goods sold online have passed quality and safety checks. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News