The Trade Department said it is intensifying monitoring and enforcement to ensure product quality and consumer safety of construction materials such as cement, steel bars, angle bars, uPVC pipe and sanitary wares.
The agency ordered an investigation on the structures and buildings that collapsed after the earthquakes this week.
“We will investigate these incidents, although in the constructed structure, many things go into it already. The structural design, the cement mixture, right specs of steel bars and the right number of bars per diameter of posts, etc. I have asked our BPS [Bureau of Product Standards] to investigate,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
Data showed that from January to April this year, the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau confiscated and sealed 35,112 pieces of steel bars, equal-leg angle bars, uPVC pipes, G.I. wires and electrical cords.
The bureau monitored 1,173 firms and served 138 notices of violation where 118 were filed with administrative cases.