Substandard products proliferate

Reports of substandard reinforcing steel bars being openly sold in hardware stores and construction supply outlets in different parts of the country have been coming in with alarming frequency, raising grave concerns over public safety that should prompt swift and sweeping government action.

Last week, the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (Pisi) revealed that inferior steel bars were being sold in Mindanao to an unsuspecting public, with the random test buys in September revealing that the volume was big enough to build more than 10,000 houses a month, putting at risk up to 30,000 people.

This came on the heels of similar disturbing findings during test buys in July in northern Luzon, that some rebars that are heavily used during construction to increase the structural strength of concrete structures do not bear the required government markings that show that these meet performance and quality standards.

With no product quality assurance, it is highly likely that these rebars—usually undersized and brittle—will break when subjected to too much load or bending, causing residential or commercial structures to crack or collapse entirely.

That the open sale of these unsafe materials goes on despite the obvious danger to society is therefore unconscionable as the Philippines is ranked among the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters.

Show cause orders

This means that structures have to be especially reinforced to be able to withstand potentially devastating earthquakes and typhoons that are increasing in frequency and strength with climate change.

The government already has the names of both the manufacturers and peddlers of these substandard products thus should have all the ammunition or evidence that it needs to come down hard on these violators who are putting property and lives at risk.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) itself has confirmed the issue of the sale of substandard construction materials such as rebars, thus it should rededicate itself to playing its vital role in safeguarding public safety by ensuring that manufacturing, production, and distribution comply with stringent quality standards.

Indeed, the Pisi has been calling for an audit and the issuance of show cause orders on manufacturers that produced and then sold substandard rebars as early as 2019, when it found these inferior rebars being sold in Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, and Mindoro Occidental, and again in 2020 when Pisi revealed the presence of unmarked rebars in Central Luzon.

Enhanced monitoring

“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,” then Pisi president Roberto Cola said.

The Pisi is still airing the same warnings about the danger posed by these products on public safety years later, and the DTI has responded to calls for action through initiatives such as Task Force Kalasag.

It aims to enforce trade and industry laws with a focus on protecting consumers and legitimate businesses through enhanced monitoring, surveillance, enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication efforts. But clearly, the DTI’s efforts are not enough to stem the tide since the substandard rebars are still in the market.

Fittingly, October is Consumer Welfare Month and the Marcos administration should take the occasion to strictly and consistently enforce product safety rules to finally put an end to the sale of not just rebars but other defective products in the market.

Easy profit

It should exert all efforts to put behind bars the manufacturers and retailers violating the product standards law who are more than willing to sacrifice public lives and property for the sake of an easy profit.

At the same time, building contractors and the consumers should also be extra vigilant and check if the steel bars they are buying come from reputable manufacturers who go out of their way to comply and perhaps even exceed the bare minimum building standards.

After all, as DTI Undersecretary Blesila A. Lantayona stressed, standards are more than just technical guidelines as they “set the benchmark for the quality of products and services across various industries to ensure trust, safety, quality, and efficiency for Filipino consumers.”

The DTI had also said that product safety was “a fundamental consumer right” but this will ring hollow if these standards are not just prescribed but also enforced. The public, meanwhile, can also do its part by remaining vigilant by looking for the product standard markings when buying materials.

If the products are too cheap then it is likely that they were smuggled or are of inferior quality and not worth compromising on just for the sake of savings.

In the end, the cost will be much more severe.