Domestic steel manufacturers have expressed concern over delays in implementing updated standards for reinforcing bars, citing structural safety issues in the country’s infrastructure and residential buildings following the recent strong earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao.
Ronald Magsajo, chairman of the South East Asia Iron and Steel Institute (SEAISI) and president of the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council (AISC), said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay that the updated Philippine National Standard (PNS) for reinforcing bars aligns with the country’s National Structural Code.
The revised standard also mandates that only seismic-grade reinforcing bars be manufactured and sold in the country. According to Magsajo, higher-grade steel cannot be produced using induction furnace (IF) technology, which has already been banned in several countries, including China, due to environmental concerns.
“Unfortunately, the updated standard is yet to be mandated nor is there any indication of the target date for implementation,” said Magsajo.
The municipalities of San Simon, Pampanga, and Sta. Maria, Bulacan, have also banned the use of induction furnaces because of environmental concerns, although these ordinances have yet to be implemented.
“Proactive policy action today can prevent structural failures, protect public safety and strengthen confidence in our infrastructure. To do this, we must eliminate the risks, in particular, those related to steel used in construction,” he said.
Domestic steelmakers have long lobbied for a ban on induction furnaces, arguing that the technology is outdated, polluting, and incapable of producing steel that meets the new standards.
In 2017, citing product quality issues and environmental concerns, the People’s Republic of China banned the use of induction furnace facilities for producing construction-grade steel. An estimated 120 million to 150 million tons of IF steelmaking capacity were shut down, and much of the mothballed equipment was subsequently exported to other regions, including ASEAN.
In 2018, the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council warned member states about the risks posed by the influx of obsolete and outdated induction furnace equipment into the region for the production of construction-grade steel. The AISC renewed its appeal in 2021, reiterating its position that the transfer of induction furnaces and their use in manufacturing construction-grade steel should be prohibited. However, these appeals were not acted upon by ASEAN governments.
In 2025, following the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand—which caused the collapse of a government building under construction—and a subsequent quake in Johor, Malaysia, a region not typically prone to earthquakes, the AISC formed a task force to assess the safety of steel used across the region.
The task force’s findings confirmed the council’s longstanding concerns. According to the AISC, the absence of primary refining in induction furnace operations means impurities in steel scrap cannot be effectively removed from finished reinforcing bars, compromising their quality and making them unsuitable for critical structural applications.
Several ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, have already banned, shut down, or restricted the use of induction furnaces.
Magsajo added that recent seismic events and fault-line studies indicate that ASEAN faces significant earthquake risks, leaving buildings and infrastructure vulnerable to structural failure during earthquakes and severe weather events.
“This is all the more critical here in our country. Filipino lives are at stake. We should not be complacent. We should not wait for another tragedy to occur before taking decisive action. Ban the use of IF for the production of construction grade steel and implement and strictly enforce the new standards for reinforcing steel,” he said.
