DTI grants automatic PS license renewal

MANILA, Philippines  — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will automatically renew the Philippine Standard (PS) licenses of manufacturers expiring this year to help alleviate the impact and reduce the risk of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 transmission.

Under Memorandum Circular 20-34, DTI said local companies holding a PS license which recently expired or is set to expire within the year will be automatically renewed.

The new PS license will be valid for three years.

A PS license is a requirement for manufacturers of products under mandatory certification before they could distribute their goods in the market.

To get a PS license, a manufacturer’s factory and product should be compliant to relevant standards set by government.

Through this licensing system, consumers can be assured of the quality and safety of the products being distributed.

To avail of automatic renewal, PS license holders should submit an application through the online product certification system of the DTI’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) at www.qualityproducts.dti.gov.ph.

PS license holders seeking automatic renewal should have no pending issues in terms of unresolved non-conformances in previous audits, unresolved show cause order or cease and desist order, and suspended licenses due to non-conforming products, among others.

Failure to submit application for re-certification, corrective actions for non-conformance and other requirements due to pending issues would mean a waiver to avail of the automatic renewal.

When possible, BPS will be conducting random surveillance audits to check consistent compliance of manufacturers to the terms and conditions set for the licenses.

Any non-conformance found during the surveillance activities would be a ground for suspension, withdrawal and cancellation of the PS license.

Payment of license fees shall be deferred and would be billed on the next surveillance activities.

The MC is already in effect following its publication in the newspaper.

“The DTI-BPS understands that local PS licensed companies are trying their best to cope and survive the economic brunt brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have already processed 17 PS licenses for renewal and we are expecting 284 local PS licenses to benefit in the issuance of this MC. In the spirit of Bayanihan, we hope this measure is able to help mitigate the pandemic’s burden in the industry,” DTI-BPS director Neil Catajay said.