Tougher action sought on dumping of low quality cement, steel products

A consumer welfare advocacy group seeks tougher government action against the proliferation of imported substandard construction materials currently flooding the local market, saying these products could inflict long-term negative impact on the country’s infrastructure and construction sector.

“Government indifference to the unabated importation of low quality construction materials, specifically cement and steel, could embolden unscrupulous traders to capitalize on this irregularity even at the extreme prejudice of the integrity of the Philippine construction industry,” said Oliver San Antonio, spokesman and counsel of the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC).

San Antonio cited recent news reports about alleged foreign-made adulterated cement and substandard steel being sold in the domestic market.

“Cement and steel form the very foundation of our houses and buildings. Our government must ensure that substandard imported materials do not contaminate local supplies, especially since there has been a spate of destructive earthquakes and typhoons recently,” San Antonio noted.

He pointed out that the Philippines is located in an earthquake and typhoon zone, notably the so-called Asia’s Ring of Fire, making it one of the most disasterprone countries in the world.

“This is why it’s extremely vital that we use only the best building materials to ensure public safety,” he added.

In December 2016, the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI), the umbrella organization for the local steel industry, revealed that “substandard and uncertified steel bars” were used in the buildings that were damaged during the 2013 Cebu and Bohol earthquakes.

Substandard cement and steel were reportedly procured from China and Vietnam.