DOST official urges changes in PH steel materials manufacturing

An official of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Wednesday called for the scrapping of the induction furnace (IF) process in the manufacture of steel construction materials, saying reliance on this method leaves Filipinos at risk should The Big One strike the country.

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Roberto Cola, a member of the DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center, said these facilities are "all over" the country, in places such as Pampanga, Bukidnon, Bataan, and Valenzuela.

"Proven na ito sa ating mga kapitbahay na bansa. Bawal ang IF… sa Taiwan, sa Japan, sa China, sa Indonesia, sa Thailand. So itong mga bansang ito, pinagbawal na 'yan dahil nga ang problema hindi quality steel ang naproproduce at delikado para sa mga mamamayan," Cola said.

(That's already been proven in our neighboring countries. IF is banned in Taiwan, Japan, China, Indonesia, and Thailand. These countries have already prohibited it because the problem is that the process doesn't produce quality steel and it's dangerous for the public.)

"So dapat 'yun din ang gawin ng ating gobyerno. Dapat ipag-ban na ang process na ito (So our government should do the same. This process should be banned)," he added.

Philippine government agencies have recently issued statements about preparing for The Big One, a magnitude-7.2 earthquake or stronger, following the March 28 quake that left thousands dead in Myanmar and Thailand.

Cola said China has already raised its concern over the existence of induction furnaces being used to produce substandard quality steel products in 2002.

"The main drawback of induction furnace facilities is that there is no process of removing harmful elements in the liquid steel. Thus, resulting in inconsistent quality of products produced. This is also a safety hazard since these steel products are used in construction of buildings and infrastructure," he said.

In 2017, Cola said, China banned induction furnace facilities for the production of construction-grade steel.

However, he said that following this ban, the producers moved to Southeast Asian nations.

Meanwhile, Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) President Ronald Magsajo said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Iron and Steel Council issued a statement of concern in 2018, warning against the use of induction furnace technologies for construction-grade steel.

Magsajo said the council advised the use of the technology only for foundry and metal casting.

Meanwhile, Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno called on the public to prepare for a possible earthquake through identifying open spaces and preparing go-to bags.

In a separate interview on Tuesday, Nepomuceno stressed the importance of earthquake-resistant buildings and bridges as 500,000 structures may collapse should The Big One occur.

Saying Philippine structures should be able to withstand magnitude-8.5 quakes or stronger, Nepomuceno said there should be no shortcuts in the construction of houses, buildings, condominiums, offices, hotels, and bridges.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has projected the death toll due to The Big One at 50,000, with at least 12% of residential buildings heavily damaged. — VDV, GMA Integrated News