The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) reported that 35 stores were caught last year selling substandard steel products, and vowed to keep up its campaign in coordination with the government to protect the public.
It said it conducted “test buys” in 16 provinces in six regions, and discovered 27 assorted steel reinforcing bars out of 130 that failed quality tests.
One retailer in northern Mindanao was cited for violations while a request was sent to the Bureau of Philippine Standards to also issue a notice of violation to another retailer that PISI found selling substandard steel.
For this year, PISI has conducted test buys in six provinces in four regions and found 10 stores selling substandard steel.
In a letter to Bureau of Philippine Standards director Neil Catajay, PISI President Ronald Magsajo said steel manufacturers would continue to support efforts by government regulators to crack down on manufacturers and sellers of substandard, deformed and re-rolled steel products.
“The institute remains to be an advocate and industry partner in promoting safety and adherence to Philippine national standards,” said Magsajo.
PISI has been helping regulators crack down on erring retailers and manufacturers as inflation together with the rising costs of fuel and energy, are causing less efficient mills to turn to producing substandard products.
Magsajo said the proliferation of substandard steel poses a risk to public safety as low-quality steel bars could compromise the structural integrity of homes, buildings and public infrastructure.
“This is especially worrisome, as the Philippines is prone to natural disasters. Just recently, we saw a magnitude 7 earthquake rock the northern regions in Luzon. We can only imagine the scale of destruction when low-quality steel products make their way into homes, buildings, bridges and other infrastructure,” he said.