Re-alignment of Functions.
Section 4
SEC. 4. Re-alignment of Functions.—The functions of government offices/agencies concerned with the inspection of export products, as well as with the issuance of commodity clearances, shall continue to be exercised by such offices/agencies as provided for in their respective charters, except as otherwise re-assigned hereunder: Philippine Bureau of Products Standards.—This Bureau, in coordination with specialized government commodity offices/agencies, shall be the sole agency of the government responsible for the determination and/or establishment of standards for export commodities. Where a specialized government commodity office/agency is empowered to formulate commodity standards in accordance with its charter and in view of the technical experties available therein on products falling under its jurisdiction, it shall continue to do so and submit such standards for accreditation to the Philippine Bureau of Products Standards. The inspection of the products and the issuance of commodity clearance therefor shall nevertheless be the responsibility of the specialized government commodity office/agency. For other export products, the responsibility of inspection and issuance of clearances for which do not fall under the jurisdiction of any specialized office/agency, the Philippine Bureau of Products Standards is hereby authorized to inspect such products and issue appropriate commodity clearances. The same Bureau shall continue to be sole agency to issue licenses for the use of Philippine Standard Certification marks to exporters of products whether falling within the jurisdiction of a specialized government commodity office/agency or not. Products with certification marks shall not be subjected to inspection, provided, that, the valid license to use such marks is presented in lieu of a commodity clearance. Specific Product List for Inspection.—Specialized government commodity offices agencies such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Bureau of Plant Industry, Food and Drug Administration, National Cottage Industries and Development Authority, and Bureau of Animal Industry, shall continue to exercise inspection and commodity certification functions in accordance with their respective charters for products specified in the Rules and Regulations issued pursuant to this decree. Status quo for Certain agencies.—The inspection and/or certification functions for export products falling under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Bureau of Fiber Development and Inspection Service, the Philippine Virginia Tobacco Administration, the Philippine Tobacco Administration, and the Bureau of Forest Development shall remain with the same agencies: Provided, however, that new or additional requirements shall, prior to their taking effect, be referred to National Economic and Development Authority for confirmation.