A resolution was filed at the House of Representatives directing the House Committee on Trade and Industry to investigate the alleged smuggling and proliferation of substandard steel products in the Philippines due to the “collusion between large steelmakers and officials of DTI and the Bureau of Customs.’’
Rep. Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun filed House Resolution 379 in light of fears over the past two years year by consumer groups, specifically residents and buyers of high rise condominiums nationwide, over reports of continued selling of substandard steel bars and other big steel manufacturers, that may render thousands of high rise structures unsafe in the event of a high intensity earthquake.
In drafting the resolution, the Agusan del Norte lawmaker expressed suspicion that the collapse of the four-story supermarket in Porac, Pampanga during the 6.1 magnitude earthquake last April, that killed five people and injured nine, “was due to the use of Quenched Steel bars used in constructing the building.”
Noting that the resolution seeks to “protect consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard or hazardous products,” Fortun said the committee needs “to determine the veracity of various reports to protect the welfare of the Filipino consumers, plug holes in the government revenue streams, clamp down on corruption, and if warranted, exact accountability on public officials involved in the aforesaid unscrupulous acts.”
