THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects to issue by August a long-awaited order that would make compliance with updated seismic-grade steel standards mandatory, following months of industry calls to tighten construction safety rules.
The updated standards, released by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) in May, remain voluntary pending the issuance of the memorandum, which will require compliance in the industry.
‘It should be soon. By August. It should arrive soon,’ Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque told reporters when asked about the timeline for the memorandum circular.
Roque said the government is treating the matter with urgency given the country’s vulnerability to earthquakes. ‘We’re really focused on that, especially because of the earthquake. So that’s a very sensitive issue,’ she said.
She added that several government agencies are working together as the government reviews the measure before its implementation.
‘That’s the usual process. But we have an investigation and there’s a lot of government departments that are working closely together to enforce whatever we will decide on this one,’ Roque said, referring to the ongoing public consultation and interagency discussions.
Last month, Southeast Asia Iron and Steel Institute (Seaisi) Chairman and Asean Iron and Steel Council (AISC) President Ronald Magsajo said the revised standards are intended to eliminate the future use of non-seismic-grade reinforcing bars in construction.
He said some induction furnace (IF) facilities continue to manufacture non-seismic-grade reinforcing steel, while newer steelmaking technologies are capable of removing more impurities and producing higher-quality materials.
Magsajo estimated that about 30 percent of the domestic reinforcing bar market is supplied by such, with most products going to hardware stores and smaller construction projects.
Seaisi noted that China banned the use of IF technology for construction steel and shut down IF steel facilities, citing quality and environmental concerns.
Similar restrictions have since been adopted across Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and Thailand prohibiting IF-produced steel in public infrastructure projects, while Singapore and Malaysia impose tighter controls on its use.
In the Philippines, the towns of San Simon in Pampanga and Sta. Maria in Bulacan have also prohibited IF operations over environmental concerns.