The Trade Department’s Consumer Protection Group allayed fears of the steel industry over substandard products, saying it was making sure all shipments entering the country were safe and would conform to the standards set by the Bureau of Product Standards.
Trade Undersecretary Victorio Dimagiba said a sampling of the shipment that arrived in late April was undergoing testing by the Metals Industry Resource Development Center and would undergo analysis by the BPS.
“We will hear the test report after about two weeks. Then we can say whether the shipment fails or complies with standards,” Dimagiba said in a briefing Monday.
Dimagiba said the Trade Department acted on the complaints filed by the Philippine Institute of Steel Industry for a certain 5,000 metric ton shipment of 12mm imported deformed reinforcing steel bars.
The Pisi on April 28 urged the Trade Department to invalidate the import commodity clearance certificate issued by the regional office in Zambales to Mannage Resources Trading Corp.
The industry questioned the validity of the ICC, saying the provisional permit had no control number and other traceability features.
Dimagiba said with the decentralization of certain functions, the regional office could issue a provisional ICC up to the warehouse.
Meanwhile, the testing will determine the specific weight and measurement of the steel bars.
“If and when the shipment passed the test, that’s the time we’ll issue the ICC and sticker,” he said.
Trade said there was stronger demand for construction products, especially during the dry season.
Except for cement, demand for other construction materials like steel bars, electrical supplies and marine plywood have barely moved.
Cement prices have been fluctuating by an average of P5 per bag, depending on the brand.
Cemex Philippines and Holcim Philippines Inc. have started to import cement to beef up inventory due to higher demand for housing and infrastructure projects.
The Philippines is now producing an average of 30 million bags of cement monthly.
