NABUKING ng Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) ang ilang hardware stores sa Southern Luzon provinces ng Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, at Mindoro Occidental na nagbebenta ng substandard reinforcing steel bars sa isinagawang market monitoring operation kamakailan.
Isinumite ng industry group ang findings ng ‘test buy’ operations nito sa Southern Luzon sa Department of Trade and Industry – Consumer Protection Group (DTI – CPG) at hiniling sa ahensiya na magsagawa ng market monitoring at standards enforcement sa naturang mga lalawigan.
“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,” wika ni PISI President Roberto Cola.
Batay sa report ng PISI, ang Pampanga-based induction furnace steelmaker Wan Chiong Steel ang may pinakamaraming infraction kung saan anim na hardware stores ang nagbebenta ng karamihan ay underweight o rebars na may low elongation. Sumusunod dito ang CKU na may limang tindahan na nagbebenta ng underweight rebars.
Ang iba pang manufacturers na natuklasan ng PISI na nagbebenta ng substandard rebars sa Southern Luzon ay ang Capasco, Phil Koktai Metal, Continental, Metrodragon, at Real Steel.
Samantala, pitong tindahan ang nagbebenta ng 8MM rebars bilang 9MM rebars, na lumalabag sa umiiral na consumer protec-tion laws.
“We are concerned that substandard rebars are being openly sold in the provinces of Mindoro, Batangas, Laguna, and Cavite. 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,” paliwanag ni Cola.
“While these substandard rebars are unsafe to use, they are being sold without the knowledge of the buying public,” dagdag pa niya.
Sinabi rin ni Cola na karamihan sa substandard rebars na nadiskubreng ibinebenta sa domestic market ay prinodyus ng steelmakers gamit ang induction furnace (IF), na karamihan ay nagmula sa China makaraang ipagbawal doon ang naturang IF units dahil sa polusyon na idinudulot nito at ang karaniwang below standard quality ng kanilang output.
Iniulat ng ASEAN Iron and Steel Council na 90% ng rebars na prinodyus sa China gamit ang IF process ay “substandard with poor mechanical property in elongation and strength which could easily fracture during application.”
Ang steel bars na binili ng PISI ay isinumite sa Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) kung saan sinuri ang mga ito laban sa requirements ng ipinatutupad na Philippine National Standards (PNS) 49:2002 for Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement at PNS 211:2002 for Rerolled Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement.
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