IFC program backs DTI in product standards upgrade

Government is gaining headway in elevating the country’s product standards for lamps to world-class levels following its collaboration with the International Finance Corp. (IFC) on the latter’s Efficient Lighting Initiative (ELI), a global climate change mitigation program. ELI seeks a massive market transformation in the Philippines from the use of incandescent bulbs to tested compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to help ease global warming.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Bureau of Product Standards (BPS), will soon require lighting manufacturers to provide product information on lamps traded in the local market. This developed after the BPS technical committee on lighting and related equipment consulted with ELI country director Alexander Ablaza on how best to bring Philippine National Standards (PNS) at par with globally-recognized norms. Ablaza has been providing guidance to technical committee members since May 2000 upon the invitation of BPS Director Jesus Motoomull.

With its new mandatory product information rule, self-ballasted lamps sold in the Philippines – the most popular of which are CFLs – should contain information such as rated voltage, rated wattage, lumen output, lumens per watt, rated life, total current draw and thermal protection. This information can be presented in a grid similar to the nutrition facts posted in the packages of food products.

While information on rated voltage and wattage is already indicated in current lamp packages in the market, other performance indicators are not. Lumen output refers to the level of brightness the lamp can emit while in use; lumens per watt indicates how much brightness can be delivered efficiently per wattage use; rated life, the number of hours the lamp can be used; total current draw, how much wattage is needed for its use; and thermal protection, whether or not it is safe from overheating.

"The BPS became receptive to our suggestions because the Philippine National Standards (PNS) for self-ballasted lamps had become outdated, having been last revised in 1993. Significantly, this is the first time that our PNS for lamps will specify lumen maintenance, which indicates the level of brightness a lamp can sustain while in service. This is very good because our consumers will now know if the lamp they are buying can perform or not," said Ablaza.