The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will amplify its monitoring of substandard steel products, as they may compromise public safety, especially during natural disasters such as earthquakes.

“We'll strictly monitor and enforce,” DTI Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters, when asked about the results of the agency’s recent meeting on the matter.

To protect the safety of consumers and the resiliency of infrastructures, Roque said hardware stores must not sell substandard steel.

Talks of strict monitoring against such products reemerged after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that rocked Myanmar and Thailand last month.

In Bangkok, a 30-storey government building under construction collapsed due to the earthquake, leaving over 60 workers dead. Thai authorities found that substandard steel bars were being used in the building.

Based on a recent monitoring by the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI), substandard steel is still being sold in hardware stores across the country.

The industry group purchased 28 steel products from 20 stores in Luzon and Visayas, signaling its proliferation in the construction industry.

PISI argued that the government must take the necessary steps to “guarantee no such disaster occurs in our country,” amid the looming threat of the “Big One”—a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that could strike Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The induction furnace (IF) process in steel manufacturing is cited as the main source of substandard steel in the market.

PISI said steel products from IF have poor mechanical properties such as low elongation and strength, which threatens the structural integrity of buildings and other infrastructures.

The likes of China, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand have since banned the IF process, citing concerns with its substandard output.

When asked about a potential ban in the country, Roque said the agency has yet to discuss the matter.

“Hindi pa namin napag-usapan yung ban pero strict monitor and enforce, ‘yan talaga ang gagawin,” she explained.
(We haven't discussed the ban yet, but strict monitoring and enforcement, that's what we'll really do.)

The DTI chief said the agency will step up its monitoring of stores and even e-commerce platforms that are found to be selling poor-quality steel.