By Rey Anthony Chiu

As Christmas is ushered in with all kinds of flickering lights all over the city and towns, the Department of Trade and Industry has time and again reminded revelers that not all Yuletide items that glitter are safe. The big question as people try to spread the cheers of Christmas is, just how safe these lights are ? According to the DTI, as long as these are products that pass through the country’s standards bureau and are used properly, there is less chance of getting accidents. Still hounded by past news about fires caused by substandard Christmas series lights and improper installation, the government stresses consumer protection against products flooding the market which apparently skirt around government standards tests. At the Kapihan sa PIA Thursday, DTI’s Jose Hibaya reminded: always read the labels when buying electrical products. And seek out the proper marks that tell that the products pass through products’ standards, he advised. Hibaya explained that for electrical products should bear the Product Standards (PS) marks of the DTI Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) or the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) for imported steady or blinking electrical products like Christmas lights. He also revealed there has not been any local manufacturer of Christmas lights which the DTI-BPS has given the PS mark. He could not also say if there were pending applications for such or there were simply none.

What he is certain is that consumers should look for the ICC marks on the imported Christmas lights products sold here. The ICC marks, he hinted, should assure the consumer that the products are safe, as they pass through the safety standards set by the country’s premier standards testing bureau. He also said standard Christmas lights have bulbs that do not easily break, the lines used do not break easily and the plug prongs are sturdy. Beyond that, checking the ICC marks should be an assurance. The ICC marks are those silver logos placed in the product’s packaging. Along with the ICC marks, he also pointed out that products are labeled in compliance with the law. Some Christmas lights are set for indoor use, others can be used outdoors, he said. Christmas lights specified for indoors should not be installed outside, where they are exposed to sun and rain, which could make the product deteriorate rapidly, he warns.