By Kris Crismundo/PNA
MANILA — The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) on Friday warned that there are substandard reinforcing steel bars or rebars currently being sold in hardware stores in Southern Luzon, particularly in provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, and Mindoro Occidental.
PISI conducted its own monitoring through “test buy” operations in the said provinces and submitted its findings to the Department of Trade and Industry-Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG).
“We are concerned that substandard rebars are being openly sold in the provinces of Mindoro, Batangas, Laguna, and Cavite,” PISI President Roberto Cola said.
PISI said it discovered that five manufacturers in Southern Luzon are selling substandard rebars, while seven stores are selling 8-mm. rebars as 9-mm. rebars.
“These steel products are used for the construction of homes in these provinces, which are usually visited by typhoons, flashfloods and sometimes earthquakes, and thus, they need to use quality construction materials. The proliferation of substandard steel in these provinces poses grave danger to families living in these provinces,” Cola said.
“While these substandard rebars are unsafe to use, they are being sold without the knowledge of the buying public,” he added.
The group also requested the DTI to conduct its own market and standard monitoring in these Southern Luzon provinces to verify its claim.
“We have also recommended to the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) to conduct an immediate audit and issue show cause order on the manufacturers that produced and sold the substandard rebars,” Cola said.
