In August 2026 the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) notified the WTO of measure G/TBT/N/PHL/368 — a draft Departmental Administrative Order on the Technical Regulation for Mandatory Product Certification of Solar Energy Systems. It brings six product groups within the scope of mandatory product certification: solar photovoltaic modules, inverters, battery energy storage systems (BESS), rapid shutdown devices, battery charge controllers and PV cables. The comment deadline was 25 July 2026; the dates of adoption and entry into force remain to be determined. The measure is intended to prevent deceptive practices, protect consumers and protect human health or safety, and is based on the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, the Administrative Code of 1987 and the Philippine Consumer Act.

What the regulation requires

The regulation will be administered by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS). Any of the listed components imported, manufactured, distributed, sold, installed or used in the Philippines must comply with the corresponding Philippine National Standards (PNS) and carry the Philippine Standard (PS) safety and quality certification mark; importers must additionally obtain the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) mark. The draft grants manufacturers a one-year transition period from the date of entry into force, and non-compliance may lead to a Show Cause Order, a Suspension Order or even product recall. The explanatory note cites several solar-related incidents reported in recent years, including module overheating, electrical fires caused by wiring or inverter faults, battery swelling, leakage or explosion, damage to roof structures from improper installation, and electric shock during operation and maintenance.

Exporters are advised to benchmark their products in advance against the PNS standards and the IEC standards they reference (IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 for modules, IEC 62109 for inverters, IEC 62619 for storage batteries and so on), and to weigh the two routes — a PS licence or batch-by-batch ICC certification — against their shipment frequency. Rapid shutdown devices and PV cables have largely fallen outside the scope of mandatory certification until now, so the completeness of test reports for upstream components should be verified early.

Click for more Philippine market access regulatory updates:

NTEK Insight | New rules for Philippine NTC certification

Certification Basics | Philippine NTC certification

The Philippine NTC proposes amendments to SRD operating parameters for mobile detection equipment