Marcos: Trade of substandard steel started under Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — The illegal trade of substandard steel in the country may have proliferated as early as 2018, during the administration of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, according to President Marcos.

“If you look at their records, we started seeing more of these operations around 2018,” he told reporters in New Delhi (India) where he attended the 18th BRICS Summit.

Marcos warned that the problem could be bigger than previously known, comparing it to the social and moral scourge brought by the proliferation of Philippine offshore gaming operators also during Duterte’s time.

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He said the government initially believed only a few operators were involved, but ongoing investigations are beginning to show that the trade had become more extensive.

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The government is still determining the extent of the operations and how much substandard steel may have entered the construction supply chain, he said.

READ: Marcos likens substandard steel trade to Pogo menace, cites 2018 pattern

“But because they have been there for so long, they have probably already supplied quite a lot of materials to structures that have been built,” warned the President.

Raid of Davao company

The issue surfaced after government authorities raided Davao Mighty Steel Corp. in Davao City in August. The company was found to be manufacturing and distributing substandard steel bars.

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READ: 20 other steel plants under surveillance for possible violations – NBI

The steel facility was also detected with radioactive materials, which posed a health risk to its workers.

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The National Bureau of Investigation and the Presidential AntiOrganized Crime Commission said there are about 20 steel facilities across the country being monitored for suspected violations of product and safety standards.

The two agencies had earlier raided four other steel plants this year—two in Pampanga, one in Bulacan and one in Misamis Oriental.

Inspectors, not contractors

Marcos described the use of substandard steel in construction as “very dangerous,” saying authorities were looking into whether such materials may have contributed to the collapse of some buildings.

The NBI found that at least 394 buildings—including government offices, schools and a hospital—which reportedly used Davao Mighty Steel reinforcing bars were damaged during the June earthquake in Mindanao.

The President said contractors may not be the ones who should be blamed as they may not be aware that the materials supplied to them were substandard, since they generally followed approved plans and specifications.

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Instead, he said inspectors should be made accountable, as they were the ones responsible for substandard steel getting used in construction. /cb