Industry groups seek tougher enforcement of product standards

Industry and consumer groups are calling for stronger enforcement of mandatory product standards, citing concerns over substandard goods, delayed action on reported violations and limited accountability for manufacturers.

The Federation of Philippine Industries raised the issues ahead of National Standards Week from 8 to 14 October and World Standards Day on 18 October.

University of the Philippines professor and economist Astro del Castillo said poor enforcement of product standards affects both consumers and legitimate manufacturers.

He said substandard goods may fail to meet minimum quality and safety requirements, while compliant manufacturers can lose market share to cheaper products that allegedly make fraudulent claims.

Del Castillo urged authorities to strengthen enforcement across sectors covered by mandatory product standards.

FPI chair emeritus Jesus Arranza, meanwhile, called on the Department of Trade and Industry to take a clearer position against court orders that could halt standards enforcement.

Arranza said lower courts had previously issued temporary restraining orders affecting DTI enforcement actions. He urged the Supreme Court to clarify the limits of such orders in cases involving mandatory product standards.

Philippine Iron and Steel Institute president Joel Ronquillo also raised concerns over the DTI’s handling of violation reports submitted by the private sector.

Ronquillo said response times for complaints involving allegedly substandard steel bars had improved from about two months under the previous administration to several days or weeks.

However, he said industry groups rarely receive information on penalties imposed after reported violations.

Ronquillo cited Philippine Sanjia Steel Corp., which was recently subjected to a National Bureau of Investigation operation, saying PISI had submitted violation reports involving the company as early as 2023.

He also claimed a wide gap between DTI and PISI findings on violations involving steel bars, with the industry group reporting rates above 50 percent and as high as 70 percent in recent checks in CALABARZON and Central Visayas.

Ernesto Ordoñez, chair of Alyansa Agrikultura and FPI’s Standards Committee, said enforcement should focus more on manufacturers and not only retailers.

He said that among more than 150 retailers charged from January to May, only one manufacturer was included in the cases.

Ordoñez argued that manufacturers of allegedly substandard goods can be identified through product brands and markings even when retailers do not provide receipts.

The groups urged the DTI and other authorities to act more quickly on reported violations and disclose enforcement results, including penalties imposed on manufacturers and retailers.