MANILA – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will issue a new memorandum circular (MC) to clarify rules and regulations on labeling cement products.
The supplemental guidelines for the implementation of Department Administrative Order (DAO) 17-06, Series of 2017, or “The New Rules and Regulations Concerning the Mandatory Certification of Portland Cement and Blended Hydraulic Cement with Pozzolan” aims to address the concerns on mislabeled cement products, the DTI said in a statement Wednesday.
The DTI said local manufacturers raised their concerns over mislabeled imported cement products bagged in the country but labeled as “Product of the Philippines”.
The current DAO does not include the marking requirements for bagging facilities to indicate the country of manufacture of cement products.
The DTI said the new MC will require all locally manufactured and imported cement products shipped in bulk and bagged in a Philippine Standards (PS)-licensed bagging facility to be permanently marked with the name and address of the manufacturer, the country of manufacture, and the words “Bagged by:”, followed by the name and address of the bagging facility.
“It is incumbent upon the importers and/or manufacturers to properly label their products and reflect the country where these products were produced. It will properly guide our consumers, especially at this time of pandemic where we encourage our countrymen to patronize locally produced products to support the economy,” DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
The DTI also directed manufacturers and operators of bagging facilities to immediately cease all printing operations of previously approved cement bags indicating “Product of the Philippines”.
“While consumer safety is always one of the department’s priorities, it is also the mandate of DTI to protect and support local manufacturing industries. This is why the DTI strongly promotes the Buy Local, Go Lokal campaign, encouraging all local consumers to patronize Filipino products and services,” Lopez added. (PNA)
