The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) XI has warned manufacturers and consumers over substandard construction materials in the local market.
Rachel Remitio, DTI 11 city director, said manufacturers who will be caught selling low-grade cement and steel products will face a minimum administrative fine of P25,000 per product. “If we see them (selling substandard products), we will forward the report to our Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) so they could come down and verify,” Remitio said.
She added that construction materials need mandatory certification that manufactures must secure Philippine Standard (PS) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) licenses first before selling them. She also reminded public to always check the PS and ICC mark on products before buying.
“We have a principle of last touch so even if they say products were only supplied to them, it will not become the reason for not filing complaints against those responsible, (they be) retailers (or others involved in the industry of these products),” she said.
Once caught, all products will be sealed and all business transactions will be put on hold until the case is finished which usually takes four to six months.
Remitio, however, said that since the start of the year they have not yet recorded any retailers and manufactures selling substandard products in the city.
She said the last time they had this kind of case was in 2017 when a distributor of substandard and expired cement was monitored by the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC) in areas not only in the city, but also in La Union and Caloocan City.
