App allows consumers to check on import clearance stickers
LEGAZPI CITY (PIA) — Consumers can now verify through the web the quality seal that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) attaches to imported products following the launch of the DTI’s Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) verification technology.
ICC stickers are attached to imported products to protect the consumers from counterfeit and substandard materials.
“It is a proof that the product, before entering the country, had undergone and passed the tests from the Bureau of Philippine Standards. The manufacturer will be given a certification and ICC sticker which shall be placed on the product,” Alexandro M. Novora, DTI’s trade and industry development specialist for Albay, said.
Faced with several cases of illegally imported products bearing counterfeit ICC stickers, Novora said the DTI has developed the ICC Verification System Application that helps the agency in safeguarding the protection and welfare of consumers.
He said the ICC Verification System App is connected directly to the server of the Bureau of Philippine Standards which establishes the authenticity of the product’s ICC sticker.
The application is available in PlayStore and can be downloaded to Android devices. It is a Quick Response (QR) code scanner where consumers can verify the company name, address, brand name, model and type of the products.
However, Novora said the application covers only those issued with ICC certification and stickers from August 2018 onwards.
“There are four digits at the bottom of the ICC sticker that indicate the date of issuance. The sticker also contains enhanced features to easily determine fake ICC stickers,” he said.
He said DTI strictly implements the provisions of the Philippine Standards Law that ensures quality and safe products, whether manufactured locally or imported, before being distributed in the local market.
Novora said locally manufactured products are required to have a Philippine Standard (PS) mark, which guarantees their quality and safety.
At least 88 products are listed under mandatory compliance with the country’s standards law. They are categorized as electronic products, mechanical or building and construction materials, and chemicals such as oxygen in hospitals and fire extinguishers.
Novora said DTI makes sure products in the market are free from hazards and health risks. (PIA-5)
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