PISI steps up campaign vs substandard rebars

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) is stepping up its campaign against substandard and unmarked reinforced steel bars (rebars) after finding a new batch of these products being sold in the market.

In a statement, PISI president Ronald Magsajo said the institute is intensifying test-buy operations and working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to curb the sale of substandard steel products and promote consumer safety.

PISI vice president for technical affairs Joel Ronquillo said they have informed the DTI of the substandard rebars allegedly produced by Real Steel Corp and Metrodragon Steel found in hardware stores in Central Luzon.

PISI also found unmarked rebars and rebars embossed with non-registered logos.

These rebars are banned because their manufacturer cannot be identified, traced and sanctioned, Magsajo said.

Samples taken by the PISI from the hardware stores have been given to the DTI’s Bureau of Philippine Standards which then sent them to the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) for testing.

Based on MIRDC’s findings, the samples’ lug heights and mass variation did not conform with DTI’s requirements for rebars to be used in construction.

PISI said Real Steel and another firm, Philippine Koktai Meta, were also found selling undersized rebars in June.

The rebars did not meet the Philippine National Standard, which means these can cause failure in structures under stress.

As the market for construction has shrunk amid the ongoing pandemic, PISI said many substandard steelmakers are taking advantage of the situation.

“Some manufacturers and traders are taking advantage of quarantine restrictions and taking shortcuts that ultimately will harm the end-user,” Magsajo said.