The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) continues to monitor the selling practices of steel retailers through “test buys” campaign to promote consumer awareness on substandard steel products.
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,” Magsajo said.
The PISI has been helping regulators go after erring retailers and manufacturers as inflation, along with the rising costs of fuel and energy, causes less efficient mills to produce 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 infrastructures.
“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.
In the first half of 2022, PISI found 10 stores selling substandard steel through test buys in 6 provinces.
In 2021, PISU and the DTI tagged 35 stores found selling substandard steel products in 16 provinces and discovered 27 assorted steel reinforcing bars out of 130 that failed quality tests.
The Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) issued notice of violations to erring steel retailers.