Faster transition to stricter steel rebar standards urged

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) urged the Department of Trade and Industry to shorten the transition to mandatory implementation of stricter standards on deformed steel bars to ensure the safety of buildings in the country against earthquakes.

PISI wrote to DTI Secretary Cristina Roque last July 23 to raise its recommendations on the draft memorandum circular that would require the compliance to the updated standards on deformed steel bars or the Philippine National Standards (PNS) 49:2026.

Under the updated standards, the use of grade 33 rebars, the lowest grade for rebars and is a non-seismic grade, will not be allowed anymore for structural use as well as the use of regular steel bars.

The update, PISI noted, would help the country catch up with peers in terms of standards as the use of grade 33 has long been phased out in other nations amid seismic threats.

In its letter, PISI opposed the timeline indicated in the draft memorandum circular that included a public comment period of until September 21 and ultimately a nine-month transition period or until April 30, 2027 for the mandatory implementation of the stricter standards.

PISI recommended that the public comment period be closed by the end of the month and the transition period must be immediately or at most three months.

“This standard was written in response to real loss of life. Delaying its transition to 2027 does not reflect the urgency the moment demands,” PISI president Joel Ronquillo said.

“We stand ready to support an immediate transition and we urge the DTI to act with the same sense of urgency the Filipino public expects,” Ronquillo added.

PISI made the response following a July 23 public consultation by DTI on the draft memorandum circular on PNS 49:2026.

PISI argued that non-seismic grade rebar remains legal for use in the country and will remain to be for the next nine months if the current timeline stands.

The group claimed that earthquakes in the past three months alone have resulted in 121 fatalities, 1,316 injuries and affected 1.65 million people.

PISI refuted claims that a longer transition period is needed so that local producers will have ample time to comply with the stricter standards. The group pointed out that the local industry has sufficient supply to meet market demand.

PISI estimated that production capacity is around eight million metric tons while market demand is at four million metric tons.

Earlier, the DTI noted that it plans to release the implementing order on PNS 49:2026 next month.