DTI crafting bill to make Phl goods more competitive

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is crafting a bill that will allow the country to have a unified institutional framework for standards to make local products and services competitive.

Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. told reporters the DTI and the private-public National Competitiveness Council are currently working on a draft bill for a new National Quality Infrastructure.

“Right now, our standards bodies are scattered all around, DTI, Bureau of Philippine Standards,  Department of Agriculture, DOH (Department of Health), so we need more unified infrastructure to promote standards and quality. It is not just safety standards but also quality,” Cristobal said.

The bill will have product standards as an important element.

It will also cover requirements for testing, certification, accreditation as well as metrology.

“The National Quality Infrastructure, it is really fundamental for making our products and services competitive,” Cristobal said.

The DTI is aiming to complete the draft bill within the year.

“We still have to subject the draft bill to consultations,” Cristobal said.

Upon completion of the bill, the DTI will look for a sponsor for the proposal.