Steel makers vow to support drive vs substandard steel

MANILA, Philippines - The domestic steel industry has committed to support the campaign launched by Rehabilitation Czar Panfilo Lacson versus substandard steel products and other construction materials that are being channeled to areas devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda where demand is high due to the ongoing reconstruction.

“We commend Secretary Panfilo Lacson for his proactive response against manufacturers, importers and traders of substandard steel products who are so ruthless that they are even victimizing the victims of Yolanda,” said Roberto M. Cola, president of the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI).

Cola said PISI and other steel industry associations are ready to work with Lacson, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and government authorities in monitoring the market and identifying the sources of these substandard steel products.

“Our member-companies and associations have an extensive network and we can greatly boost the government’s campaign versus the peddlers of these substandard products,” Cola added, noting that the domestic steel industry has been in constant coordination with Trade Undersecretary for the Consumer Protection Group Mario Victorio Dimagiba in its advocacy to promote the welfare of Filipino consumers.

In April, Lacson, the Presidential adviser for Rehabilitation and Recovery, sought the help of Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Chief, Director Benjamin Magalong in conducting operations against the proliferation of substandard building materials.

A series of raids followed in July. In General Trias, Cavite, some P40 million worth of substandard steel bars were seized. In Cabuyao, Laguna, authorities confiscated P49 million worth of substandard construction materials at a warehouse.Then in Tacloban City, P15 million worth of galvanized iron sheets, plain sheets and steel bars were seized.

The seized substandard construction materials, according to Magalong, are being smuggled into the country, and later transported and sold in areas devastated by Yolanda.

While the Bureau of Customs managed to confiscate some of the substandard steel imports at the ports of entry, an unknown volume still managed to make it to the domestic market.