The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute supports the Department of Trade Industry in its recent crackdown against substandard steel to ensure construction materials used in homes and buildings are safe and strong.
In a series of operations, the DTI’s Consumer Protection Group led by DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo confiscated steel bars that did not meet quality standards in several hardware stores in Luzon. It also confiscated substandard steel bars by Pampanga-based Wan Chiong Steel, which was supposed to be under suspension due to various violations.
“We inspected their plant, together with the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) and the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), because their operations have already been suspended but it seems that they continue to operate,” Castelo said in an interview following the inspection at Wan Chiong Steel’s plant in San Simon town.