Steel industry moves to curb smuggling
The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (Pisi) is planning to join a government-led technical working group to address standards enforcement, smuggling and other trade issues affecting the local steel sector.
Pisi president Joel Ronquillo said the group is seeking to engage agencies involved in regulating steel imports and construction materials, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
This plan follows an earlier agreement with the Bureau of Customs to form a technical working group that would develop a database to monitor steel imports, improve commodity classification and support standardized customs valuation based on historical records.
Ronquillo said the initiative also comes amid heightened scrutiny of construction materials used in infrastructure projects following a multibillion-peso graft scandal involving government-funded flood control projects.
Several of these projects were found to be either “ghost” projects or built using substandard materials.
Discussions in the proposed working group are expected to focus on the strengthening enforcement of steel standards, particularly in infrastructure development.
Among the issues raised by the industry are smuggling, technical valuation and the entry of substandard materials into the domestic market.
Ronquillo said the industry has long flagged these concerns to regulators, particularly the Department of Trade and Industry, which oversees product standards.
“We’ve been raising this (issue) for so many years,” he told reporters.
