Sub-standard cement, steel seen jeopardizing infra plan

CONSUMER welfare advocacy groups sought tougher actions from concerned government agencies against the proliferation of imported sub-standard construction materials cur massive infrastructure program.

The National Coalition of FiliOliver San Antonio, spokesman pino Consumers ( NCFC) has and counsel for the NCFC, said. warned that unabated importa“We need strong and quality tion of low quality construction materials, for example, for the P10 billion reconstruction program for steel, could prejudice the governMarawi City [Lanao del Sur]. It’s ment’s infrastructure projects and an important project that deserves endanger the lives of the people only the best possible materials when earthquake and other cabecause we aim to restore lives lamities strike. and raise new hopes for the people

“Cement and steel form the affected,” he added. very foundation of our houses and Earlier, the United Filipino Conbuildings. Our government must sumers and Commuters (UFCC) ensure that sub-standard imported urged the Bureau of Customs materials do not contaminate local (BoC) to issue immediately an supplies, especially since there has alert order against a suspected been a spate of destructive earthP360-million worth of steel shipquakes and typhoons recently,” ment from China at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority because it is an alleged tariff scam and the cargo is sub-standard.

In a formal letter, UFCC president Rodolfo Javellana Jr. asked Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon for a thorough probe against importer Mannage Resources Trading Corporation “to protect the consumers from getting sub- standard products from unscrupulous businessmen.”

A similar appeal was also made by cause-oriented group Advocate for Good Governance, through lawyer Argee Guevarra, saying there were at least a dozen domestic companies that should be subjected by the BoC to exhaustive investigation for technical smuggling of cement, for example.

“The smuggled cement from and sold at very low price compared to locally produced cement, Guevarra added.

Worse, he said, “the smuggled cement are already beyond their so-called effective shelf life or have expired, and extremely dangerous if used in construction.”

Undervaluation of freight charges, according to Guevarra, is equivalent to around P1 billlion a month or P12 billion a year in potential revenue losses to the government.

In December 2016, the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute, the umbrella organization for the local steel industry, revealed that “sub were used in the buildings that were damaged during the 2013 Cebu and Bohol earthquakes.

Sub-standard cement and steel were reportedly procured from China and Vietnam.

The Department of Trade and Industry has implemented policies meant to ensure that architects and contractors use only highquality building materials and came out moreover with proposals that tighten requirements for steel imports.

Last June, it released a draft circular amending the implementing guidelines for the mandatory cer by the Philippine National Standards, mandating a higher sample size for steel imports testing.