The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute said the number of hardware stores selling uncertified and substandard steel products, including reinforcing bars, has declined.
“We noticed an improvement in compliance as the number of stores that had violations in our own monitoring activities dropped from more than 40 percent in 2018 to 25 percent as of end-July or after the nationwide strike that the Department [of Trade and Industry] launched on substandard products,” said PISI president Roberto Cola.
A quarter of the stores continued to sell steel products that pose danger to the lives of people, he said.
“That’s still a lot of substandard steel out there. Thus, we support the Trade Department in its monitoring and enforcement activities until we have fully eradicated substandard products in the market,” Cola said.
The department earlier fined 34 hardware and business establishments for alleged sale of uncertified and substandard construction materials in the National Capital Region and the rest of Luzon.