The Federation of Philippine Industries Inc. said Wednesday the applications by glass traders for court injunctions against the mandatory testing of imported glass may hurt the consuming public.
FPI president Jess Arranza said the pleas for injunction filed by two separate groups with the Makati and Pasay regional trial were meant to deter, albeit temporarily, the exercise of mandatory testing.
“Product standards are established by the government for safety reasons. The government won’t mind how much traders or producers of flat glass would sell their products, so long as they meet the prescribed standards,” Arranza said.
The Trade Department issued Department Order 19-05 series of 2019 putting the flat glass under mandatory testing to ensure that no substandard glass products enter the country.
Arranza said product standards are set by the government to make locally-produced goods marketable in the world market.
“In a market-driven global economy, we can never compete if we have a lax product standard system,” he said.