Posted on 02 Aug 2017
The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute called on the government to monitor unmarked and substandard steel products that may have entered the market.
PISI in a letter to the Consumer Protection Group of the Department of Trade and Industry said a monitoring activity conducted after the 6.5 magnitude earthquake on July 6, 2017 in the Visayas showed that many of the damaged structures used uncertified rebars.
The PISI monitoring team visited Kananga, Palo, Ormoc City and Tacloban City in Leyte, and the town of Basey in Samar to check on the concrete reinforcing steel bars used in the damaged structures and conducted random test buys in hardware stores.
“In the interest of public safety, PISI strongly recommends that the DTI-CPG immediately launch a regular market monitoring enforcement in Leyte and Samar as rebuilding activities are now starting in these earthquake-affected areas,” said PISI president Roberto Cola.
