MANILA – The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) has vowed to intensify its campaign against substandard steel products after finding a new batch of substandard and unmarked reinforcing bars (rebars) in hardware stores in Central Luzon.
PISI President Ronald Magsajo said unmarked rebars and those embossed with non-registered logos were also found in test-buy operations in Region 3.
“Some manufacturers and traders are taking advantage of quarantine restrictions and taking shortcuts that ultimately will harm the end-user,” Magsajo said in a statement.
He added unmarked products are not allowed to be sold in the market as their manufacturer cannot be identified, traced, and sanctioned.
PISI suspected that the substandard rebars sold in hardware stores in Central Luzon were produced by Real Steel Corp. -- a steel company that was also found selling undersized rebars in the same region in June -- and Metrodragon Steel.
Magsajo said the latest samples from PISI’s test-buy operations in Central Luzon were tested by the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC).
MIRDC findings show that the sample rebars’ lug height and mass variation did not meet the Department of Trade and Industry’s requirement to ensure the integrity of the rebars used in construction.
“Low mass variation, for instance, is like asking someone to pay for one kilo of steel and only getting 900 grams,” Magsajo added. (PNA)
