The Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) and the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global standards development organization, have recently signed a collaboration and licensing agreement through which the two organizations agree to share information and work together to bolster safety, security and sustainability of the Philippines.
As the national standards body in the Philippines, the DTI-BPS is responsible for the development and promotion of Philippines National Standards (PNS) as well as the nation’s participation in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The DTI-BPS also participates actively in regional standards fora such as Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC) and ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ).
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the UL mission through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. The UL conducts rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe, sustainable commercialization of evolving technologies. Its standards development organization is accredited in the United States and Canada and is authorized to develop national standards for Mexico. It has collaboration agreements with regional and national standards bodies in over 60 countries.
Under the terms of the agreement, the DTI-BPS and UL agree to foster communication and collaboration to avoid duplication of work while enhancing the effectiveness and relevance of the national standardization system of the Philippines for the protection of consumer safety and well-being, facilitation of trade and investment. Their partnership aims to focus on sectors to support national priorities ranging from electrical appliances, electric vehicle, advanced manufacturing, fire safety and batteries.
“Recognizing the Philippines as one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing economies, we are extremely excited to collaborate with the BPS and contribute to sustainable growth for the country and the region” said Phil Piqueira, Underwriters Laboratories Vice President of Global Standards. “With over 100 years of standards development experience in both legacy safety and emerging areas, our partnership with BPS will strengthen the safety and resilience of the Philippines.”
DTI-BPS Director Neil P. Catajay welcomes the collaboration with the Underwriters Laboratories for the benefit of the local manufacturing industries as well as the professional design practice. “Creating partnerships with foreign Standards Developing Organizations is very important for our country to be abreast and updated with the global community. The DTI-BPS’ collaboration with UL provides the opportunity to access additional tools through the use of UL standards for enhancing the Philippines’ global market access and benchmarking solutions to address present and foreseen social challenges.”, underscores Director Catajay.
For more information about the agreement, please email the DTI-BPS through its official email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For updates and more information on the DTI-BPS, please visit the Standards and Conformance Portal (www.bps.dti.gov.ph) and follow our social media pages.