Industry groups push for new steel standards

MANILA, Philippines — Industry groups are urging the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to immediately implement new steel standards and ban the use of induction furnace (IF) to promote infrastructure and building safety, as the country is prone to earthquakes.

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Ronald Magsajo, chairman of the South East Asia Iron and Steel Institute and president of the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council said that new standards on steel safety were approved last May but have not been enforced.

“Unfortunately, the updated standard is yet to be mandated nor is there any indication of the target date for implementation,” he said.

The new standards, developed by the DTI Bureau of Philippine Standards, align with the National Structural Code of the Philippines and international seismic design requirements.

These new standards also eliminate the use of steel products that do not meet seismic performance requirements.

“The sooner it’s implemented the sooner we can make sure that our market is only using higher grade [steel],” Magsajo said.

He also pushed for a ban on using IF for producing construction-grade steel because these facilities lack the capability to remove impurities from finished bars, which compromises quality.

The use of IF facilities for producing construction grade steel has been banned by the Chinese government since 2017 due to product quality issues and environmental concerns.

Other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Thailand have also banned the use of IF steel in public works projects, while Singapore and Malaysia have set restrictions.

While the municipalities of San Simon in  Pampanga and Sta. Maria in Bulacan have banned the use of IF for environmental concerns, Magsajo said the ordinances have not been implemented.

He also said that higher grade steel under the new standards is unattainable using IF.

“Recent seismic events and fault-line studies indicate the ASEAN faces non-negligible risks rendering buildings and infrastructure vulnerable to structural failure during earthquakes and severe weather events. This is all the more critical here in our country,” Magsajo said.

“Filipino lives are at stake. We should not be complacent. We should not wait for another tragedy to occur before taking decisive action,” he added.