Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2782 
Introduced by HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. VINCENZO 
RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA, AND 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
A country’s ability to participate meaningfully in domestic and international markets 
and to integrate into global value chains depends greatly on the quality of its products and 
services.  Countries all around the world are strengthening their national quality infrastructure 
(NQI) as a core strategy for enhancing competitiveness, ensuring compliance with 
international standards, and driving innovation across industries. 
In the Philippines, however, the national quality infrastructure remains fragmented. 
Existing institutions operate without a unifying policy framework, and the promotion of a 
quality culture across industries has been inconsistent. A major factor behind this has been 
the absence of a formal National Quality Policy (NQP) to guide medium- and long-term goals, 
define roles between regulators and industry, coordinate programs, and provide necessary 
funding support. A well-defined NQP is critical for institutional trust, public safety, 
competitiveness, and the global recognition of Philippine goods and services. 
This bill seeks to fill that policy gap by establishing the Philippine National Quality 
Infrastructure Coordination Council. The Council will serve as the central policy body 
responsible for formulating and implementing a National Quality Policy, and for coordinating 
metrology, standardization, testing, certification, and accreditation efforts in the country. 
These are consistent with Chapter 9A of the Philippine Development Plan 2017–2022, which 
explicitly includes the enactment of an NQI law in the national legislative agenda.1 
There is a pressing need to reassess the current landscape of quality-related 
institutions, programs, and regulations and to unify them into a system that is coherent, 
responsive to local needs, and aligned with global standards. A strong, integrated NQI will 
ensure more efficient and effective industry performance, enhance consumer protection, and 
support broader development goals. 
A functional NQI already impacts nearly every part of our daily lives, from the light 
bulbs in our homes, to the food we consume and export. Ensuring that these systems are 
reliable and internationally recognized will help build trust in Philippine products and open 
new opportunities for the country’s participation in global trade.2 
1National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines. (2024, January 15). Philippines charts path to global 
competitiveness: Navigating challenges and opportunities in quality infrastructure. https://nast.dost.gov.ph/index.php/13-news-
press-releases/738-philippines-charts-path-to-global-competitiveness-navigating-challenges-and-opportunities-in-quality-
infrastructure 
2 United Nations Industrial Development Organization & Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines. (2021, July 23). UNIDO 
and Philippines commit to stronger quality infrastructure. https://hub.unido.org/news/unido-and-philippines-commit-stronger-
quality-infrastructure
July 31, 2025
10:47 am


In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
. 
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE 
HON. VINCENZO RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE 
HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2782
Introduced by HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. VINCENZO 
RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA, AND 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 
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 Philippines in Congress 
assembled:  
SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “National Quality Infrastructure 
Development Act.” 
SECTION 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 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. 
Pursuant thereto, the State shall also develop a National Quality Policy (NQP) that 
will further strengthen the Philippine National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) to provide the 
necessary institutional apparatus 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 the policy 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 with 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 protect consumer rights and 
encourage industries and other organizations to adopt quality improvements and best 
practices into their day-to-day activities. 


SECTION 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. 
 
SECTION 4. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the following terms are defined 
as follows: 
 
(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 the 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; 
 
(h) Metrology 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 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 
 
(o) Testing refers to the determination of a product’s characteristics against the 
requirements of the standard. 
 
SECTION 5. Philippine National Quality Policy. – a Philippine National Quality Policy shall 
be developed to ensure that Philippine products and services are globally accepted; earn a 
reputation of highest quality in terms of safety, standards, and acceptability; promote a 
national culture of quality among the citizenry; and that Philippine goods and services are 
designed, manufactured, 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. 
 
SECTION 6. Scope of the NQI. – 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. 
 
SECTION 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 (DTI) Secretary and Department of 
Science and Technology (DOST) Secretaries as Co-Chairpersons; 
(b) A representative of the private sector as Vice-Chairperson; 
(c) The Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM); 
(d) The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) 
(e) The Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE); 
(f) The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); 
(g) The Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology 
(DICT); 
(h) The Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF); 
(i) The Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH); 
(j) The Secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT); 
(k) The Department of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); 
(l) The Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority 
(NEDA); 
(m) A representative of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP); 
(n) Four (4) members from the private sector who shall represent exporters, 
manufacturers, importers, and consumers; 
(o) A representative of the academe or research institutions; 
 
 
The DTI 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. 
 


 
The 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. 
 
SECTION 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; 
 
(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 adoption of good regulatory practices and policy cohesion by NQI 
institutions and in the delivery of NQI services, as well as in the development and 
promotion of programs and projects; 
 
(d) Create committees or technical working groups and request the participation, 
assistance and cooperation of government agencies, 
industry 
associations, 
consumers, 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 the 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 mechanisms 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; 
 
(k) Ensure the proper promulgation 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 fora; 
 
(n) Support the formation of cooperation and conclusion of mutual recognition 
arrangements and agreements with national, regional, and international 
organizations; 
 
(o) Promote the recognition of accreditation among regulatory agencies by: 
 
i. 
Requiring their testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies and 
certifying bodies to seek accreditation; 
ii. 
Requiring government agencies to utilize 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 
(IAF), 
International 
Laboratory 
Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and International Halal Accreditation 
Forum (IHAF); 
iii. 
Establishing agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and 
Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with regulatory bodies, other 
accreditation bodies, signatory 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 other 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 manufacturing; 
 
(r) Engage and coordinate research 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 metrological 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. 
 
 
SECTION 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 (BAFS) pursuant to Republic 
Act No. 8435; 


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 (DICT) 
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; 
ii. 
National Renewable Energy Board (NREB), pursuant to Republic Act No. 
9513; 
iii. 
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) 
i. 
Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI), pursuant to 
Executive Order No. 128, series of 1987; 
ii. 
Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), pursuant to Executive 
Order No. 128, series of 1987; 
iii. 
Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), pursuant to 
Republic Act No. 4724; 
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 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) 
i. 
Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), pursuant to Republic Act No. 4109; 
ii. 
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, s. 1976; and 
 
(m) Local Government Units, pursuant to Republic Act No. 7394. 
 


SECTION 10. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the conduct of activities and 
projects of the Council to effectively perform its mandated functions under this Act, shall be 
sourced from the budgets of the different government departments tasked to implement the 
same. 
 
SECTION 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 consultation with the DBM, DOF, NEDA, and other 
relevant stakeholders shall issue the implementing rules and regulations of this Act. 
 
SECTION 12. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain in full force 
and effect. 
 
SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. – All provisions of other laws, presidential decrees, 
issuances, executive orders, letter of instructions, administrative orders, rules or regulations 
which are contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby deemed 
repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
 
SECTION 14. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication 
in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines, and the filing of three 
(3) certified copies hereof with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) of 
the University of the Philippines (UP) Law Center, Diliman, Quezon City, pursuant to 
Presidential Memorandum Circular No. 11 dated 09 October 1992. 
 
 
Approved,