Marcos: Substandard Steel Trade Flourished Under Duterte Admin

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, President Marcos Jr. said. “If you look at their records, we started seeing more of these operations around 2018,” he told reporters in New Delhi, India, where he was attending the ASEAN-India Summit. Marcos’s statement comes as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been intensifying its campaign against the proliferation of substandard steel products in the market. The DTI has warned that the use of substandard steel could compromise the structural integrity of buildings and other infrastructure projects, posing a serious risk to public safety. In recent months, the DTI has conducted several raids on warehouses and businesses suspected of selling substandard steel, seizing millions of pesos worth of products. The agency has also been working with industry stakeholders to raise awareness about the importance of using certified steel products and to report any suspected violations of the Philippine National Standards (PNS) for steel. The Marcos administration has vowed to crack down on illegal trade and protect consumers from fraudulent practices.