The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s largest business organization, has joined the mounting call from business and industry associations and other development stakeholders for Congress to expedite the passage of the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) Act, which seeks to establish a unified and modern framework for quality standards and competitiveness across Philippine industries.

Speaking at the 1st National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) Conference, jointly organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), PCCI Executive Vice President Perry Ferrer emphasized the crucial role of a strong NQI system in improving productivity, ensuring product quality, and expanding market access for local industries.

Why an NQI Matters

A well-designed NQI is much more than a technical or regulatory fix – it underpins economic competitiveness in several key ways:

• Market access and export competitiveness. Without common standards, calibration, testing and conformity assessment systems functioning reliably, exporters face technical barriers. As Ferrer said, “In today’s global economy, quality infrastructure is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity, a prerequisite to market access. Technical barriers remain one of the biggest challenges Filipino exporters face. When our products cannot demonstrate compliance with international standards, they cannot enter foreign markets.”
• Productivity and cost-efficiency. When instruments of measurement (metrology), testing, certification and standardization are fragmented or weak, firms face duplication of tests, slower time-to-market, and higher costs—undermining productivity.
• Value-chain integration and investment attraction. International investors and global value-chains expect the host country to have functioning quality infrastructure. A strong NQI signals to investors that goods/services from the Philippines meet global norms.
• Consumer protection and trust. Domestically, consumers and businesses benefit when products and services consistently meet standards of safety and reliability – reducing defects, returns and loss of reputation.
• Sectoral coherence. Agriculture, manufacturing, construction, services each depend on reliable measurement, testing, certification and regulatory coherence. As Ferrer highlighted, “The absence of a unified policy across sectors limits growth.”
• Foundation for digital and advanced industries. Quality infrastructure supports innovation (e.g., IoT, digital manufacturing, export of sophisticated services) require traceable measurements, global standard-alignment, and certification. UNIDO has emphasised that strengthening quality infrastructure is a key enabler of industrialisation and trade.
• Global reputation and “brand Philippines”. A national system that ensures consistent quality builds confidence in Philippine-made products and services. This contributes to a “quality-first” brand positioning globally.

In short, the NQI is a strategic enabler of competitiveness, export growth, MSME scaling, investment and trust in Philippine industry.

Call to Senate and the House of Representatives

The “National Quality Infrastructure Development Act” bills remain pending at the Senate and House of Representative. The PCCI and other stakeholders are urging expedited action emphasizing that delays constrain Philippine industries from fully leveraging quality infrastructure to compete globally.

PCCI therefore calls on lawmakers and agencies to treat the bill as a priority, so the Philippines can move from fragmented quality systems to a cohesive, internationally-recognised infrastructure for standards, testing, metrology, accreditation and conformity assessment.

The conference also featured the signing and presentation of the Manifesto of Support urging the immediate passage of the National Quality Infrastructure Development Act, co-signed by representatives from a wide range of industry sectors in a unified push for quality-driven national competitiveness.