The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) has reported a marked decline in the number of hardware stores nationwide selling uncertified and substandard steel products, including reinforcing bars.
“We noticed an improvement in compliance as the number of stores that had violations in our own monitoring activities dropped from more than 40 percent in 2018 to 25 percent as of end-July or after the nationwide strike that [the Department of Trade and Industry] launched on substandard products,” PISI president Roberto Cola said.
The DTI began fining stores and confiscating their inferior products at the start of the year.
Cola noted, however, that 25 percent was still a big number.
“That’s still a lot of substandard steel out there. Thus, we support the DTI in its monitoring and enforcement activities until we have fully eradicated substandard products in the market.”
Cola said it was “very likely” the confiscated steel bars came from induction furnace plants, which the DTI had also warned the public against.
“Use of induction furnace to produce construction grade steel has been banned by several countries, including China, due to the poor and inconsistent quality of its output,” Cola said.