A
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE 
s. No, 793
gfEttalr
of tl)P
*22 JUL25 A10-.24
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL QUALITY POLICY DEFINING THE PHILIPPINE 
NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE (NQI) THEREOF^ CREATING FOR 
THIS PURPOSE THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE 
COORDINATING COUNCIL
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) defines 
Quality Infrastructure as "a system contributing to governmental policy objectives In 
areas including industrial development, trade competitiveness In global markets, 
efficient use of natural and human resources, food safety, health, the environment 
and climate change." Quality Infrastructure System (QIS) therefore, "is a 
combination of initiatives, institution is, organizations, activities and people. It 
includes a national quality policy and institutions to implement It, a regulatory 
framework, quality service providers, enterprises, customers and consumers (who 
include citizens as "consumers" of government services)." UNIDO emphasized the 
importance of QIS in a developing nacion as a positive and practical step towards a 
thriving economy that promotes prosperity, health, and well-being.1
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTE) has been pushing for the 
establishment of a National Quefity Infrastructure as a foundation in achieving global 
competitiveness. The country has to focus on standardization, accreditation and 
metrology. In the same manner, the National Competitiveness Council (NCC)
1 UNIDO Quality system O.odf


identified four (4) benefits of NQI, namely, (1) regulatory quality or ease of doing 
business, (2) trade facilitation; (3) industry development or competitiveness; and (4) 
consumer protection. Through these, Philippine products and services will be proven 
to meet international standards and will make them easy to market.
The National Quality Infrastructure Development Act' seeks to provide the 
necessary Institutional apparatus to produce products and services of a prescribed 
national and international standards. It aims to harmonize the fragmented quality 
programs and policies, as well as institutionalize effective cooperation and 
coordination among the NQI institutions in the country, as well as with their regional 
and international counterparts.
Legislative measures of this nature were filed by legislators both in the House
of Representatives and In the Senate in the previous Congresses, but did not prosper 
into law.
In view of the foregoing, the Immediate passage of this bill is highly 
recommended.
Y EJERCITO ESTRADA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. No. 793
Senate
of tl)C
•22 JUL25 AlO :24
RECEIVED BV:
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL QUALITY POLICY DEFINING THE PHILIPPINE 
NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE (NQI) THEREOF, CREATING FOR 
THIS PURPOSE THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE 
COORDINATING COUNCIL
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Phiiippines in 
Congress assembied:
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Section 1. Short Tide. - This Act shall be known as the "^Nationai Quality 
Infrastructure Deveiopment Act.
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It Is declared the policy of the State to adopt 
a culture of quality among its citizens to encourage competitiveness arr.ong firms, to 
facilitate trade, and to promote consumer welfare in accordance with good 
regulatory practices.
The State shall adopt and strengthen its quality infrastructure network that 
would support national policies and strategies on economic development, 
industrialization, trade and investments, ease of doing business, consumer 
protection, and environmental protection, while adhering to International best 
practices and international standards.
The State recognizes the critical role of the private sector in the national 
quality infrastructure, and shall promote a transparent, participatory, coherent, and 
efficient mechanism to enable businesses to effectively comply with market 
requirements and consumer needs.


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Pursuant thereto, the State shall also develop a National Quality Policy (NQP)
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that will further strengthen the Philippine National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) to
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provide the necessary institutional a pparatus so that the country's private sector can 
produce products and services of a prescribed national or international standard; 
and the verification of conformance to these standards can be achieved by 
internationally accepted means.
It is hereby declared liie po icy of the State to harmonize the fragmented 
Quality programs and policies, as well as institutionalize effective cooperation and 
coordination among the NQI institutions in the country, as well as within their 
regional and International counterparts. The NQI shall serve both the regulatory 
authorities and the market place in order to comply with the State's constitutional 
mandate to proted: consumer rights and encourage industries and other
organizations to adopt quality improvements and best practices Into their daily 
activities.
Sec. 3. Coverage. — This Act shall apply to activities, processes, programs, 
and to public and private institutions relevant to standards, accreditation, metrology, 
conformity assessment, and other matters incidental thereto.
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms 
are defined as follows:
a) Accreditation refers to a ;:hird-party attestation conveying a formal 
demonstration of the competence of a conformity assessment body to carry 
out specific conformity assessment tasks. It provides a basis for uniform
technical policy and conditions for mutual recognition at the International 
level;
b) Calibration refers to the operation that Is used to establish that the measuring 
instruments used to remain accurate within specified parameters;
c) Certification refers to a third-party attestation of conformance to standards, 
technical regulations, other specified requirements or guidelines related to 
products, processes, systems, or persons. This can be accomplished by 
conducting inspection, verification, audit and/or testing;


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d) Conformity Assessment refers to the demonstration that specified 
requirements relating to a product, process, system, person or body are 
fulfilled;
e) Conformity Assessment Body refers to a body that performs conformity 
assessment activities and that can be the object of accreditation;
f) Cuiture of Quaiity refers to the set of group values that guide how 
improvements are made to everyday working practices and consequent 
outputs;
g) Inspection refers to the examination of product, process, service, or 
installation, or their design and determination of its conformity with specific 
requirements or, on the basis of professional judgment, with general 
requirements;
h) Methodoiogy refers to the science of measurement and its application, which 
includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement;
i) National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) refers to policy, legal, regulatory, and 
administrative frameworks, and the institutional arrangements, public and 
private, to implement standardization, accreditation, and totality of the 
testing, certification, and measurement necessary to provide acceptable 
evidence that products and services meet the defined government and 
market standards;
j) National Quality Policy (NQP) refers to the basic government Instrument for 
establishing and overseeing the quality infrastructure system;
k) Philippine National Standard (PNS) refers to a document established by 
consensus and promulgated by the Bureau of Philippine Standards, which 
provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or characteristics 
for activities or their results which aim at the achievement of the optimum 
degree of order in a given context;
l) Quality refers to the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill 
requirements;
m) Standard refers to the document approved by a recognized body that 
provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or characteristics 
for products or related processes and production methods, with which


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compliance is not mandatory. It may also include terminology, symbols, 
packaging, marking, or labelling requirements as they apply to a product, 
process, or production method;
n) Standardization refers to the process of developing technical specifications of 
standards based on consensus among all interested parties, consumers, trade 
associations, manufacturers and providers of goods and services, non­
governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies and 
instrumentalities; and,
0) Testing refers to the determination of a product's characteristics against the 
requirements of a standard.
Sec. 5. Philippine National Quality Policy. ~ A Philippine National Quality 
Policy shall be developed to ensure the Philippine products and services are globally 
accepted; earn a reputation of highest equality in terms of safety, standards, and 
acceptability; promote a national culture of quality among the citizenry; and that 
Philippine goods and services are designed, manufactures, and supplied in a manner 
that fully matches or exceeds the needs, expectations, and requirements of the 
retailers, purchasers, consumers, and regulatory authorities In the local, regional, 
and international markets.
The National Quality Policy shall define the National Quality Infrastructure in 
accordance with the objectives set forth In this Act.
Sec. 6. Scope of the NQL - The NQI shall prescribe the policy, regulatory, 
and legal frameworks on Standardization, Accreditation, Metrology, and Conformity 
Assessment that shall be defined In the implementing rules and regulations of this 
Act.
Sec. 7. Institutional Arrangements. -■ To achieve the objectives set forth in 
this Act, there is hereby created a Philippine National Quality Infrastructure 
Coordination Council (PNQICC), herein referred to as the Council.
The Council shall be composed of the following:
a) The Department of Trade and Industry (DTE) and Department of Science and 
Technology (DOST) Secretaries as Co-Chairpersons;
b) A representative of the private sector as Vice-Chairperson;


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c) The Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as 
member;
d) The Secretary of Department of Agriculture (DA) as member;
e) The Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) as member;
f) The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
(DENR) as member;
g) The Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications 
Technology (DICT) as member;
h) The Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF) as member;
0 The Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) as member;
j) The Secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT) as member;
k) The Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as 
member;
l) The Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority 
(NEDA) as men iber;
m) A representative of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) as 
ex-officio member;
n) Four (4) members of the private sector who shall represent exporters, 
manufacturers, importers and consumers, as ex-officio member; and,
o) A representative of the academe or research institutions as ex-officio 
member.
The DTE and DOST Secretaries may designate the appropriate Undersecretary 
as their alternate, and the other ex-officio members may designate an alternate with 
the rank not below the rank of Director.
TTie President shall appoint the Vice-Chairperson from the nominees 
submitted by reputable business groups or associations.
A permanent secretariat shall be organized by the DTI to assist the Council in 
the discharge of its functions.
Sec. 8. Functions of the Philippine National Quality Infrastructure 
Coordination Council. — The Council shall perform the following functions:
a) Formulate and adopt a Philippine National Quality' Policy pursuant to Section 5 
of this Act;


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b) Instill a culture of quality in all levels of society, at the individual and 
institutional levels, through an effective Information, education, capacity 
building, and communication campaign to relevant regulatory bodies and to 
the public;
c) Ensure the adopted of good regulatory practices and policy cohesion by NQI 
institutions ano in the deliver of NQI services, as weil as in the development 
and promotion of programs and projects;
d) Create communities or technical working groups and request the 
participation, assistance and cooperation of government agencies, industry 
associations, consumer:, the academe, and other stakeholders, If necessary 
for the performance of its functions and the attainment of the objectives of 
this Act;
e) Identify the roles and contribution of government agencies, the private 
sector, industry associations, non-government organizations, and other 
stakeholders in attaining the vision and adhering to tiie principles prescribed 
in this Act;
f) Coordinate and support programs, projects and activities that will foster the 
development of a responsible and sustainable NQI, such as but not limited to 
Improving and increasing the availability of experts, technical assessors, 
laboratories, calibration services, and product certification bodies; among 
others;
g) Provide direction and order, and encourage the participation of the public and 
private sectors In conformity assessment activities and meet anisms as a 
means to demonstrate compliance with voluntary and mandatory 
requirements to public and private sectors;
h) Promote the adoption of quality management practices and necessary training 
to those in charge of the production and commercialization of goods and 
services in the country;
I) Promulgate rules to enable the NQI institutions under its direction to offer 
technical support to relevant industries;
j) Ensure that standardization, accreditation, and metrological processes are in 
line With and comparable to international best practices;


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k) Ensure the proper promulga :ion of all standards created by other agencies 
and instrumentalities of the government, and perform standardization 
functions over conformity assessment bodies in the country;
l) Direct the development of the National Standardization Strategy and the 
National Accreditation Strategy, with the Involvement of all stakeholders;
m) Ensure that the country participates in regional and international 
standardization efforts and accreditation activities, arrangements, and for a;
n) Support the formation of cooperation and conclusion of mutual recognition 
arrangements and agreements with national, regional, and international 
organizations;
0) Promote the recognition of accreditation among regulatory agencies by:
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Requiring their testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies 
and certifying bodies to seek accreditation;
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Requiring government agencies to uti'ize the services of test and 
calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, certification bodies and 
other conformity assessment bodies that are accredited by the 
Accreditation Philippines or a signatory member of the Asia Pacific 
Accreditation Cooperation (APAC), International Accreditation Forum 
(lAF), International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and 
International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF);
ill. Establishing agreements. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and 
Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with regulatory bodies, other 
accreditation bodies, sig;iatory members and other interested parties.
p) Ensure the maintenance and continuous update of the national measurement 
standards In all relevant fields for the Philippines, guaranteeing that all 
metrological laboratories, infrastructure, equipment, instruments, artifacts, 
reference standards, and otner similar articles are in good condition, 
internationally compliant, and reliant and other qualities that may be required 
In the future;
q) Provide metrological traceability to the International System of Units (SI) for 
measurements used In regulations, trade, and manufac+:uring;


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r) Engage and coordinate rese arch and development work with other local 
institutes / bodies having metrological responsibilities (radiation, standard 
time and dissemination, etc.);
s) Exercise responsibility for legal metrological controls in the country through 
coordination with other executive branches of government;
t) Ensure uniformity of metroloyical procedures in the same prescribed manner 
of their implementation; and,
u) Perform such other functions as may be necessary, incidental, or proper to its 
mandate.
Sec. 9. Role of NQI Institutions. - Under the direction of the Philippine 
National Quality Infrastructure Council, all existing NQI Institutions involved in 
standards development, accreditation, metrology, and conformity assessment shall 
continue to perform the mandates and functions assigned to them by their 
respective enabling laws, including but not limited to:
a) Department of Agriculture (DA)
i. Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BFAS) pursuant to 
Republic Act No. 8435;
li. National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), pursrjant to Republic Act No. 
9296;
b) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), pursuant to 
Executive Order No. 192, series of 1987;
c) Department of Information arid Communications Technology (DICE)
i. National ICT Planning Policy and Standards Bureau (NIPPSB), pursuant 
to Republic Act No. 10844;
d) Department of Energy (DOE)
I. Energy Research and Testing Laboratory (ERTL), pursuant to 
Administrative Order No. 38, series of 2002;
National Renewable Energy Board (NREB), pursuant to Republic Act 
No. 9513;
Oil Industry and Management Bureau (OIMB), pursuant to Republic Act 
No. 8479;
e) Department of Health (DOH)
II.
III.
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i. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), pursuant to Republic Act No. 
9711;
f) Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
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Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI), pursuant 
to Executive Order No. 128, series of 1987;
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Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), pursuant to 
Executive Order No. 128, series of 1987;
ill. Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), pursuant 
to Republic Act No. 4724;
Iv. National Metrology Laooratory (NML), pursuant to Republic Act No. 
9236;
g) Department of Tourism (DOT)
i. Office of Tourism Standards and Regulations, pursuant to Republic Act 
No. 9593;
h) Department of Transportation (DOTr)
i. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), 
pursuant to Executive Order No. 202, series of 1987;
i) Department of Public Works end Highways (DPWH)
i. Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS), pursuant to Executive Order 
No. 292, series of 1987;
j) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
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Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), pursu'mt to Republic Act No. 
4109;
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Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB), pursuant to Executive Order No. 
802, series of 2009;
k) National Commission of Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), pursuant to Republic Act No. 
4109;
l) National Water Resources Board (NWRB), pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 
1067, s. 1976; and,
m) Local Government Units, pursuant to Republic Act No. 7394.
Sec. 10. Appropriations. ~ The amount necessary for the conduct of activities 
and projects of the Council to effectivlty perform its mandated functions under this


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Act, shall ba sourced from the budgets of the different government agencies tasked 
to implement the same.
Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) working 
days from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 
and Department of Science and Technology (DOST), In coi sultation with the DBM, 
DOF, NEDA, and other relevant stakeholders shall issue the implementing rules and 
regulations of this Act.
Sec. 12. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof Is held Invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
Sec. 13. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or Issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent \«'ith the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, 
modified, or amendea accordingly.
Sec. 14. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation, and the 
filing of three (3) certified copies hereof with the Office of the National 
Administrative Register (ONAR) of tf;a University of the Philippines (UP) Law Center, 
Diliman, Quezon City, pursuant to Presidential Memorandum Circular No. 11 dated 
09 October 1992.
Approved,
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