Random test-buys of the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) yielded substandard rebars that can build more than 10,000 houses per month putting to risk up to 30,000 people, the group said in a statement over the weekend.
PISI, which has stepped up its campaign against inferior steel rebars said the random test-buys were made in Mindanao last September, just a few weeks after finding the same problem in its July test-buys in Northern Luzon.
PISI said it has asked the Department of Trade and industry (DTI) to conduct a surveillance audit of the companies involved.
PISI bought at random rebars from September 9 to 13 from hardwares in Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, Samal Island, Cotabato City, Pagadian City and Iligan City.
The PISI report said the rebars failed to meet the minimum standard requirements for weight and are prone to brittleness.
These were the same findings for the Northern Luzon rebars that were tested by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) Testing Laboratory in Cavite.
As the name suggests, a rebar or reinforcing bar is a steel bar that is used in concrete construction, providing strength to concrete, preventing cracking and offering longevity.
In the July test buy, PISI said 13 out 33 samples it bought in Luzon provinces were found non-conforming with the domestic standard.
The samples were bought from 16 hardwares in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya.
PISI said the 13 samples were tested at the BPS laboratory in Cavite to check if they meet the minimum standard requirements for mass variation and elongation.
PISI has been conducting the test-buys in coordination with the DTI to promote public safety.
“Public safety is a major issue here. PISI is coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Consumer/Regional Operations Group and various government agencies to address this problem,” PISI president Ronald Magsajo said.
Magsajo added that PISI has provided DTI the needed information and technical know-how to support their initiative to enforce, confiscate and recall the products of all non-conforming and substandard steel products.
