DTI asked to phase out non-seismic steel bars

A trade group representing local steelmakers has called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to immediately implement a new national standard that would bar the use of non-seismic steel grades in construction applications.

In a statement, the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (Pisi) said it had formally appealed to Trade Secretary Cristina Roque to accelerate the nationwide rollout of the updated Philippine National Standard for Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement, or PNS 49:2026.

Urgency stressed

According to Pisi, the rollout of this policy has become more urgent following the collapse of a nine-story building under construction in Angeles City, Pampanga in May, as well as the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off Sarangani earlier this week.

At least 30 people were killed in the Angeles building collapse which remains under investigation, including possible structural defects and permit violations. On the other hand, the death toll from the Mindanao earthquake has risen to 45, with nearly 500 injured and 17 others still missing.

Pisi said the revised standard removes steel grades that do not meet seismic performance requirements and aligns local specifications with the National Structural Code of the Philippines and international seismic design standards.

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“Every day we delay implementation is another day Filipino lives are at risk from buildings that were built legally but not … to withstand what this country’s geology demands,” the group’s president, Joel Ronquillo, said in a statement.

He added that non-seismic-grade rebars were the “wrong material” for buildings located in earthquake-prone areas.