Substandard steel flooding market -- DTI official

A high-ranking Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) official admitted over the weekend that there is a proliferation of substandard steel products in the market even as a Cavite congressman sought stronger measures against manufacturers who cheat consumers.

Jesus Motoomull, executive director of the Bureau of Products Standards (BPS), an agency under the DTI, said his office, through its market monitoring efforts, has observed the proliferation in the market of substandard rebars and other steel products used in the construction industry.

Motomull's admission came after Lamp Rep. Ayong Maliksi (2nd District, Cavite), urged the DTI to check the steel industry and its propensity to produce substandard materials that pose risks to consumers.

According to the BPS chief, his agency announces every start of the year priority products for monitoring on a monthly basis. "This is to assure that products that affect, like, health and safety are monitored to determine their compliance with relevant Philippine national Standard requirements," he said.

While the BPS admitted the widespread cheating by some steel manufacturers in the market, Maliksi challenged Motomull to take action beyond recognizing the problem.

"The problem is there. The final victims are the people who buy steel bars and G.I. sheets in building their houses. Spending one's lifetime savings on permanent investments that may just collapse because of undersized and substandard steel products is worse than unfair to consumers," Maliksi pointed out.

The congressman said he will ask the House committee on trade and industry, of which he is a member, to investigate the proliferation of substandard products in the market.

"Steel is a basic component in any infrastructure work, not to mention housing," Maliksi said. "If this unethical business pratice goes unchecked, we might end up with a handful of accidents and dead people."

He cited the Cherry Hill incident in Antipolo City last year. "That the houses may have been built with substandard materials contributed to the accident," the Congressman said.

Maliksi said that if unscrupulous manufacturers are not stopped from their illegal activities, a rash of accidents involving high-rises, bridges and fly-overs might occur in the future.