The Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS) has imposed mandatory product certification on fireworks in order to protect and safeguard the safety of consumers, especially on the onset of the celebration of the New Year.

“Despite news on inadvertent fires, serious injuries, and accidental deaths caused by fireworks, many still insist that the celebration is not complete unless they lit a firework to welcome Christmas and New Year,” said DTI Secretary Peter B. Favila.

The best thing for DTI to do now is address the safety and quality of fireworks, Favila said.

According to Favila, a technical committee composed of representatives from the government, the industry, academe, testing labs, and consumer groups developed Philippine National Standard (PNS) 1220-2:1994. “But only locally manufactured fireworks are covered of the mandatory certification. RA 7183 banned the importation of finished imported pyrotechnic devices,” Favila said.

PNS 1220-2:1994 specifies requirements for the construction, performance and labeling of fireworks and certain items of ancillary equipment. It is applicable to fireworks for sale to the general public, and for indoor and outdoor use.

With the development of the relevant PNS, fireworks was placed under the mandatory product certification scheme, wherein locally manufactured ones are required to undergo testing and certification, and as per BPS Memorandum Circular 3, Series of 2009, Secretary Favila announced that no fireworks manufactured locally should be made available to the local market unless they conform to the requirements of PNS 1220-2:1994.