The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) yesterday urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) name the companies that were found to have been selling substandard steel products in its recent crackdown operations “for the sake of transparency and safety of the consuming public.”
Ronald Magsajo, PISI president, in a statement, commended the drive of DTI to ensure only high-quality, compliant steel products reach the market.
But Magsajo urged Pascual to go a step further and name those companies netted in the crackdown.
He said the government’s recent successes against manufacturers and sellers of substandard steel should allay public concerns over the safety, stability and durability of structures. said the ongoing crackdown on substandard and uncertified steel “is meant to protect the public from bad actors in the industry that are peddling products that compromise the integrity of homes, buildings and public infrastructure, and putting millions of lives at risk.”
The DTI in June seized close to P30 million worth of steel products in Davao City and Laguna did not meet quality and safety standards.
Some P8 million worth of black and galvanized iron steel pipes, deformed steel bars, low-carbon steel wires and polyethylene pipes for potable water were taken in Davao City, with notices of violation issued on 22 of the 23 firms inspected.
Over 4,000 units of black and galvanized iron steel pipes worth P4.15 million had misleading labels from hardware stores, while some 17,700 pieces of steel bars worth P2.82 million were deformed and weighed less than required.
The DTI also seized low-carbon steel wires and polyethylene pipes for potable water for failing to comply with labeling requirements and meeting quality marks.
In Laguna, meanwhile, about P18.8 million worth of substandard steel bars were destroyed to ensure public safety.
The steel bars were produced at a steel mill in Laguna. About 136 bundles of deformed steel bars were cut into pieces and then smelted and reprocessed at the manufacturer’s warehouse in June.
Pascual ordered the company to determine the cause of its products’ deficiencies and submit a list of corrective measures.
