NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
)
SENA 
S. B. No.
f&h Senate
o( ti)f B-tvmiy
•22 JUL 14 P 3 35
RECEIVED BV:
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Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT
TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL QUALITY POLICY DEFINING THE PHILIPPINE 
NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE (NQI), CREATING FOR THIS 
PURPOSE THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE 
COORDINATING COUNCIL AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Upon gaining a fair amount of success at home, many Filipino entrepreneurs 
and owners of small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) usually look to expand into 
markets abroad for the products or services they offer. A handful do get to reach new 
customers in other countries. However, the vast majority of Filipino businesses are 
not so successful for various reasons.
This Is unfortunate considering that according to a November 2021 
International Trade Centre assessment1, the Philippines has an unrealized export 
potential worth US$49 billion (or roughly P2.677 trillion2). Up to US$20 billion—or 
around PI.092 trillion—of that figure Is supposedly due to so-called "product-market- 
specific" frictions. A portion of this includes failures to comply with the product, 
service, or process standards of a given export market—or simply, the situation where 
products and services are not of acceptable quality.
For more of our companies to reach international markets and become part of 
global value chains, there should be an enabling environment that would support and 
guide them towards reaching international standards of quality. An entire ecosystem
1 https://tradebriefs.intracen.org/2021/ll/special-topic
2 Using an exchange rate of US$1 = Php54.63, as of June 23, 2022


of both public and private sector institutions should be in place so that Filipino 
entrepreneurs and business owners can get the necessary accreditations or 
certifications for export; routinely test their products and services against certain levels 
of quality; and, make adjustments or recalibrations whenever market or government 
standards change.
Considering that most developing countries are now working to enhance their 
respective capacities to develop and produce globally competitive products and 
services aligned with international standards and benchmarks, the Philippines needs 
to build up its own national quality infrastructure (NQI). A 2018 Philippine Institute for 
Development Studies (PIDS) study even identified the lack of NQI as a contributor to 
the lack of competitiveness of Philippine SMEs3.
In fact, several government institutions, bureaus, and laboratories already exist 
where products and services can be accredited, certified, and tested for compliance 
with certain levels of quality. The challenge is that these NQI institutions are scattered 
across the bureaucracy, resulting in a weak and fragmented ecosystem that makes it 
difficult for any meaningful culture of quality to be promoted and instilled throughout 
Philippine society.
A comprehensive, harmonized, responsive, and strategic National Quality Policy 
(NQP) is needed to fill in this gap. With a clearly communicated and well-documented 
NQP, relevant public and private sector stakeholders can commit to realizing medium- 
to long-term objectives; fostering closer ties and partnerships with each other; acting 
in tandem to achieve strategic goals; and even investing in joint projects and 
programs. Institutionalizing an NQP wilt enable for a system of trust to grow, and a 
culture of quality and safety to become more commonplace and ubiquitous—all of 
which shall enable more of our companies to become more globally competitive and 
open up more economic opportunities for Filipinos.
The proposed bill aims to develop this much-needed NQP and build a robust 
NQI ecosystem throughout the country. These are goals which have already been 
embodied in the respective Philippine Development Plans of the Aquino and Duterte
https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsdpsl807.pdf


administrations. Hopefully, the same shall be included in the plans of the incoming 
administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
To harmonize and provide some coherence to the operations of existing NQI 
institutions, a Philippine National Quality Infrastructure Coordination Council (PNQICC) 
shall be established and co-chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 
and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). This council will coordinate 
policies and programs to meet quality requirements for products, services, and 
processes with the goal of promoting innovation, competitiveness, sustainable 
development, and compliance with international commitments. Ultimately, this council 
will provide some needed direction and order.
As the country works to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and faces some 
very serious headwinds brought about by geopolitical tensions and technological 
disruptions, all sectors of our society need to rally around the objective of making 
Filipino companies, professionals, entrepreneurs, and even laborers and artisans more 
globally competitive. A robust NQI ecosystem backed by a unified, responsive, and 
sustainable NQP can help achieve this. Hence, this bill is among the priority measures 
we have identified under our longstanding Tatak Pinoy ("Proudly Filipino") advocacy 
for building a more productive, more innovative, more globally competitive, and more 
inclusive economy for all Filipinos.
Indeed, for "Tatak Pinoy" to be something that Filipinos can truly be proud of, 
ensuring utmost quality needs to be a way of life for every Filipino enterprise. In view 
of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought.
SONNY ANGARA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. B. No. 628
3euftte
spovix «c;iiicp of li]f g-rcrptni-y
'22 JUL 14 P3 36
RECEfVED BY:
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
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AN ACT
TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL QUALITY POLICY DEFINING THE PHILIPPINE 
NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE (NQI), CREATING FOR THIS 
PURPOSE THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE 
COORDINATING COUNCIL AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
SECTION. 1. Title, - This Act shall be known as the "National Quality 
Infrastructure Development Act of 2022/' hereinafter referred to as the 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 among firms, to 
facilitate trade, and to promote consumer welfare in accordance with good regulatory 
practices.
The State shall adopt and strengthen its quality infrastructure system that
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would support national policies and strategies on economic development,
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trade and investments, job creation and industrialization, innovation and technological
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advancement, ease of doing business, consumer protection, environmental protection,
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and social equity and sustainability, while adhering to international best practices and
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international standards.


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The State recognizes the critical role of the private sector in the national quality
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infrastructure, and shall promote a transparent, participatory, coherent, and efficient
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mechanism to enable businesses to effectively comply with market requirements and
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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 apparatus so that the country's private sector can
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produce products and services, and maintain processes, of a prescribed and desired
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standard; and the verification of conformance to these standards can be achieved by
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internationally accepted means.
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It is hereby declared the policy of the State to harmonize the fragmented quality
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programs and policies; ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of
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quality infrastructure services across the country; and institutionalize effective
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cooperation and coordination among the NQI institutions in the country, as well as
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with their regional and international counterparts. The NQI shall serve both the
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regulatory authorities and the market place in order to comply with the State's
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constitutional mandate to protect consumer rights and encourage industries and other
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organizations to adopt quality improvements and best practices Into their day-to-day
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activities.
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SEC. 3. Coverage. - This Act shall apply to activities, processes, programs,
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and to public and private institutions relevant to standards, accreditation, metrology,
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conformity assessment, and other matters incidental thereto.
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SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms
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are defined as follows:


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a) Accreditation refers to a third-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 any 
measuring instruments used 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;
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) 
Culture of Quality 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 a 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;


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h) Metrology refers to the science of measurement and its application, which 
includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement;
i) 
National Measurement System (NMS) refers to the measurement 
system which ensures the integrity of measurements in the country, meets 
regional and international requirements, and provides support for the 
competitiveness of Philippine products, services, and processes to establish 
confidence in measurements used for regulation, trade, and manufacturing 
in the country;
j) 
National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) refers to policy, legal, 
regulatory, and administrative frameworks, and the institutional 
arrangements, public and private, to implement standardization, 
accreditation, and the totality of the testing, certification, and measurement 
necessary to provide acceptable evidence that products, services, and 
processes meet prescribed standards;
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;
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Quaiityrefers 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,
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packaging, marking, or labelling requirements as they apply to a product,
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process, or production method;
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n) Standardization refers to the process of developing technical
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specifications or requirements based on consensus among all interested
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parties, consumers, trade associations, manufacturers and providers of
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goods and services, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and
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government agencies and instrumentalities;
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o) Technical regulation refers to product characteristics or their related
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processes and their production methods, including the applicable
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administrative provisions, which are made mandatory by laws or imposed
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by government agencies;
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p) Testing refers to the determination of a product's characteristics against
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the requirements of the standard;
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SEC. 5. Philippine National Quality Policy. - A Philippine National Quality
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Policy shall be developed to instill a national culture of quality among the citizenry;
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promote the development of a dynamic NQI ecosystem such that quality infrastructure
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services including but not limited to accreditation, calibration, certification, conformity
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assessment, metrology, and testing are widely accessible; and ensure that Philippine
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products, services, and processes are globally accepted; earn a reputation of highest
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quality in terms of safety, standards, and acceptability, even desirability; and are
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designed, manufactured, and supplied in a manner that fully matches or exceeds the
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needs, expectations, and requirements of the retailers, purchasers, consumers, and
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regulatory authorities in local, regional and international markets. The National Quality


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Policy shall define the National Quality Infrastructure in accordance with the objectives
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set forth in this Act.
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SEC 6. Objectives of the NQI. - The Philippine National Quality
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Infrastructure aims to:
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a) Promote and enforce a culture of quality in all levels of society, especially 
at the individual and institutional levels;
b) Enhance the quality of the goods and services available in the domestic 
market as well as those intended for export;
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Provide direction to, and encourage the participation of the public and 
private sectors in conformity assessment activities and mechanisms as a 
means to demonstrate compliance with voluntary and mandatory 
requirements to public and private sectors;
d) Promote the adoption of quality management practices and provide the 
necessary training to those in charge of the production and 
commercialization of goods and services in the country;
e) Ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability across the country of 
quality infrastructure services including but not limited to accreditation, 
calibration, certification, conformity assessment, metrology, and testing;
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Support the coordination of relevant government and private institutions 
and instrumentalities in charge of achieving societal interests including 
safety, health, consumer welfare, environmental protection, and fairtrade; 
and,
g) Facilitate the work of government in its roles as regulator and user of goods 
and services, as well as its role in maintaining societal interests.


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SEC. 7. Scope of the JVQI. - The NQI shall be compriced of the policy,
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regulatory, and legal frameworks on Standardization, Accreditation, Metrology,
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Conformity Assessment, and Technical Regulations that shall be defined in the
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implementing rules and regulations of this Act.
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SEC 8. Institutional Arrangements. - To achieve the objectives set forth in
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this Act, there is hereby created a Philippine National Quality Infrastructure
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Coordination Council (PNQICC), herein referred to as the Council.
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The Council shall be composed of the following:
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a) The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary and Department of
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Science and Technology (DOST) Secretaries as Co-Chairpersons;
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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);
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d) The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA)
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e) The Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE);
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f) The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
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(DENR);
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g) The Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF);
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h) The Secretary of the Department of Flealth (DOFl);
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i) The Department of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH);
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j) The Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority
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(NEDA);
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k) A representative of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP);
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I) Four (4) members from the private sector who shall represent exporters,
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manufacturers, importers, and consumers 
respectively;


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m) A representative of the academe or reputable research institutions;
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The DTI and DOST Secretaries may designate the appropriate Undersecretary
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as their alternate, and the other ex-officio members may designate an alternate with
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the rank not below the rank of Director.
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The President shall appoint the Vice-Chairperson from the nominees submitted
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by reputable business groups or associations.
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A permanent secretariat shall be organized by the DTI to assist the Council in
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the discharge of its functions.
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SEC. 9. Functions of the Philippine National Quality Infrastructure
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Coordination Council. - The Council shall perform the following functions:
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a) Formulate and adopt a Philippine National Quality Policy pursuant to Section
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5 of this Act;
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b) Instill a culture of quality among the citizenry through an effective
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information, education, and communication campaign;
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c) Ensure the adoption of good regulatory practices and policy cohesion by
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NQI institutions and in the delivery of NQI services, as well as in the
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development and promotion of programs and projects;
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d) Create committees or technical working groups and
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request the participation/involvement in the committees of government
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agencies, industry associations, consumers, the academe, and other
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stakeholders, if necessary;
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e) Identify the roles and contribution of government agencies, the private
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sector, industry associations, non-government organizations, and other


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stakeholders in attaining the vision and adhering to the principles 
prescribed in this Act;
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Coordinate and support programs, projects, and activities that will foster 
the development of a dynamic NQI ecosystem;
g) Pursue initiatives for ensuring that quality infrastructure services, such as 
but not limited to accreditation, calibration, certification, conformity 
assessment, metrology, and testing, are available, accessible, and 
affordable across the country;
h) Request the assistance and cooperation of any government agency or 
instrumentality, or private entity or organization in the performance of its 
functions and the attainment of the objectives of this Act, including the 
carrying out of recommendations as a result of studies made pursuant to 
paragraph "b" hereof; and
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Perform such other functions as may be necessary, incidental, or proper to 
its mandate.
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SEC. 10. Role of NQI Institutions. — Under the direction of the Philippine
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National Quality Infrastructure Council and in fulfillment of the objectives of this Act,
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all existing public NQI institutions involved in standards development, accreditation,
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metrology, and conformity assessment shall continue to perform the mandates and
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functions assigned to them by their respective enabling laws, including but not limited
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to:
a) Department of Agriculture (DA):
i. Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) pursuant to 
Republic Act No. 8435;


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ii. National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), pursuant 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 and Communications Technology (DICE):
i. National ICT Planning Policy and Standards Bureau (NIPPSB), 
pursuant to Republic Act No. 10844;
d) Department of Energy (DOE):
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Energy Research and Testing Laboratory (ERTL), pursuant to 
Administrative Order No. 38, series of 2002;
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National Renewable Energy Board (NREB), pursuant to Republic Act 
No. 9513;
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Oil Industry and Management Bureau (OIMB), pursuant to Republic 
Act No. 8479;
e) Department of Health (DOH):
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;
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Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), pursuant 
to Republic Act No. 4724;
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iv. National Metrology Laboratory (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 and Flighways (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), pursuant 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. 9997;
l) National Water Resources Board (NWRB), pursuant to Presidential Decree 
No. 1067, series of 1976; and,
m) Local Government Units, pursuant to Republic Act No. 7394.
SEC. 20. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the conduct of
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its mandated functions under this ACT shall be sourced from the budgets of the
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different government departments tasked to implement the same.
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SEC. 21. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60)
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working days from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Trade and Industry
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(DTI) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in consultation with the
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DBM, DOF, NEDA, and other relevant stakeholders shall issue the implementing rules
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and regulations of this Act.
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SEC. 22. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid
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or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain
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in full force and effect.
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SEC. 23. Repealing Clause. - All provisions of other laws, presidential
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decrees, issuances, executive orders, letter of instructions, administrative orders, rules
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or regulations which are contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
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hereby deemed repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.
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SEC. 24. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from
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its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,
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