1.         In accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 4109, R.A. no. 7394, Executive Order No. 913, Series of 1983, DAO No. 9, Series of 1990, DAO No. 1, Series of 1997, DAO No. 8, Series of 1995, and Sec 10(4), Title X, Book IV, of the Administrative Code of 1987, the mandatory implementation of the following specific product standards is hereby ordered, for the protection of consumers and the general public:

1.1    NS 49:2002          Steel bars for concrete reinforcement - Specification

1.2    NS 211:2002        Rerolled steel bars for concrete reinforcement - Specification

2.         All manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers of said products shall comply with the requirements of these standards.

3.         A third party certification, known as the PS Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark, shall be obtained from the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) by all manufacturers of said products.  Importers of said products shall secure an Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) from the BPS as a pre-requisite of import shipments to be released by the Bureau of Customs.

4.         BPS shall promulgate implementing guidelines specifying implementing timetables, taking into consideration present inventory levels, production capabilities of industries, and testing capabilities of BPS and other testing institutions.  When necessary, BPS may designate an appropriate competent organization to assist in various aspects of standards implementation work (such as product inspection, testing, market monitoring) for these products.

5.         The implementation of these standards shall be done in proper coordination with the DTI Regional and Provincial Offices and the Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection (BTRCP).

6.         All other orders or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Administrative Order are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

7.         This Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.

Accordingly, all parties concerned are hereby informed that copies of said standards may be secured from the BPS Standards Data Center.

Adopted: 6 Aug. 2002

(SGD.) MAR ROXAS
Secretary