The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here is reminding the public to make sure that the Christmas lights they buy for indoor use must comply with the requirements set by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS).

“As early as October, Christmas lights are already in the market. Immediately, the DTI (was) already conducting monitoring of our Christmas lights as to its compliance with the Product Standards Law or with the PNS (Philippine National Standards) of Christmas lights,” DTI 6 (Western Visayas) officer in charge, Assistant Director Felisa Judith Degala, said in an interview on Thursday.

PNS 189: 2000 contains the specifications that should be followed by manufacturers to pass the test by the DTI BPS-accredited laboratory and be displayed in the market.

Christmas lights not compliant with PNS 189 -2000 may have a thin cord that overheats easily and may cause fire, endangering lives and properties.

Degala said consumers should look for the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker paired with the ICC certificate, or the Product Standard (PS) mark globe check sticker, or printed in the box or package paired with the PS License of the manufacturer.

“The sticker should be found either outside of the box or joined with wiring inside the box,” she said.

The package of the Christmas lights must have the name of the manufacturer/supplier/distributor, address, and trademark; rated voltage and rated wattage of the set and lamp; mark stating for “indoor use”; batch number; country of origin; and the number of standard use.

While consumers are advised to be vigilant and meticulous, retailers are also advised to display the list of certified importers, Degala said.

To verify if the ICC stickers are genuine, consumers can download on their Android phone the ICC verification app from Playstore that they can use to scan the QR code found on the boxes of the Christmas lights.

Upon scanning, information on the lights will appear, matching the information on the box.

So far, Degala said, they have not received reports of non-compliant Christmas lights but will keep on monitoring because there might be new supplies coming in. (PNA)