A top official of the country’s largest business organization, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), has called on the House of Representatives to Congress to expedite the passage of the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) Act, which seeks to establish a unified and modern framework for quality standards and competitiveness across Philippine industries.

PCCI vice president Perry Ferrer, during the recently concluded 1st National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) Conference, jointly organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), stressed the crucial role of a strong NQI system in improving productivity, ensuring product quality, and expanding market access for local industries.

He said a well-designed NQI is much more than a technical or regulatory fix, as it underpins economic competitiveness in several key ways, including market access and export competitiveness.

“Without common standards, calibration, testing, and conformity assessment systems functioning reliably, exporters face technical barriers. In today’s global economy, quality infrastructure is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity, a prerequisite to market access. Technical barriers remain one of the biggest challenges that Filipino exporters face. When our products cannot demonstrate compliance with international standards, they cannot enter foreign markets,” Ferrer said.

Also, the PCCI official maintained that the NQI Act could promote productivity and cost-efficiency, stressing that when instruments of measurement (metrology), testing, certification and standardization are fragmented or weak, firms face duplication of tests, slower time-to-market, and higher costs — undermining productivity.

“Value-chain integration and investment attraction. International investors and global value-chains expect the host country to have functioning quality infrastructure. A strong NQI signals to investors that goods/services from the Philippines meet global norms,” he added.

Also, he said the NQI Act promotes consumer protection and trust, explaining that domestically, consumers and businesses benefit when products and services consistently meet standards of safety and reliability — reducing defects, returns, and loss of reputation.

Moreover, the proposal could also promote sectoral coherence, stating that agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and services each depend on reliable measurement, testing, certification and regulatory coherence. “The absence of a unified policy across sectors limits growth.”

Also, the proposed law can be deemed as a foundation for digital and advanced industries, as quality infrastructure supports innovation (e.g., IoT, digital manufacturing, export of sophisticated services) require traceable measurements, global standard alignment, and certification.

“UNIDO has emphasized that strengthening quality infrastructure is a key enabler of industrialization and trade. Also, the measure could address global reputation and “brand Philippines”. A national system that ensures consistent quality builds confidence in Philippine-made products and services. This contributes to a “quality-first” brand positioning globally.

In short, the NQI is a strategic enabler of competitiveness, export growth, MSME scaling, investment, and trust in the Philippine industry,” he emphasized.

The “National Quality Infrastructure Development Act” bills remain pending at the Senate and the House of Representatives, prompting the PCCI and other stakeholders to urge expedited action, emphasizing that delays constrain Philippine industries from fully leveraging quality infrastructure to compete globally.

“PCCI therefore calls on lawmakers and agencies to treat the bill as a priority, so the Philippines can move from fragmented quality systems to a cohesive, internationally-recognized infrastructure for standards, testing, metrology, accreditation, and conformity assessment,” according to Ferrer.