MANILA, Philippines — Pressuring trade regulators to enforce aggressive structural safety updates after back-to-back engineering disasters, local steel manufacturers are demanding a total market ban on low-grade building reinforcement. The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) has formally appealed to Trade Secretary Cristina Roque to fast-track the nationwide implementation of PNS 49:2026.
The updated regulatory framework aims to completely ban non-seismic steel bars from being sold or used in construction projects across the earthquake-prone archipelago.
The revised guidelines strip away weaker steel grades that fail to meet high-stress tensile and elastic demands, directly reshaping the country’s manufacturing minimums:
[ THE NEW NATIONAL REBAR BENCHMARK ]
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┌────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────┐
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[ REMOVING THE LOOPHOLE ] [ THE REGULATORY ALIGNMENT ]
• **Eliminating Weak Grades:** The standard completely removes • **Structural Code Synergy:** PNS 49:2026 aligns local rebar
substandard steel grades that lack the flexibility needed to • manufacturing specifications directly with the National Structural
withstand severe tectonic shaking. • Code of the Philippines (NSCP).
• **The Danger of \"Legal\" Buildings:** Many structures that • **International Standards:** The policy update shifts domestic
collapsed were technically legal under obsolete rules. Old steel• requirements to match modern, global seismic engineering
bars are fundamentally the wrong material for Philippine geology.• benchmarks.
The trade group’s urgent call to action follows two high-profile, fatal structural collapses that exposed deep vulnerabilities in local infrastructure over the past month:
[ MAY-JUNE 2026 INFRASTRUCTURE DISASTERS ]
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[ Angeles City Building Collapse ] ──► In May, a under-construction **nine-story building** in Pampanga suffered a
catastrophic failure, killing at least **30 people** and triggering intense
investigations into structural defects.
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[ Offshore Mindanao Earthquake ] ──► On June 8, a massive **magnitude-7.8 earthquake** struck off Sarangani,
leaving **45 dead**, nearly **500 injured**, and 17 missing while damaging over
1,000 public schools.
Understanding the physical differences between these construction materials helps clarify why using old rebar specifications puts lives at risk during an earthquake.
| Structural Material Grade | Elasticity and Tensile Flex | Performance Under Earthquake Stress |
| Non-Seismic Steel Bars | Low elongation capabilities; brittle under sudden, repeating multi-directional forces. | High Failure Risk; breaks or snaps instantly under heavy stress, causing columns and concrete slabs to pancake. |
| Seismic-Grade Rebars (PNS 49:2026) | High elongation ratio; engineered to flex, stretch, and bend without breaking. | High Survival Rate; absorbs and dissipates severe ground movement energy, keeping structural frames standing. |
“Every day we delay implementation is another day Filipino lives are at risk from buildings that were built legally but not… to withstand what this country’s geology demands. Non-seismic-grade rebars are the wrong material for buildings located in earthquake-prone areas,” warned PISI President Joel Ronquillo in an official statement.
PISI’s push for the Department of Trade and Industry to phase out non-seismic steel bars is a vital step toward long-term disaster safety. Situated directly on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines cannot treat seismic-grade construction materials as an optional upgrade. The heartbreaking loss of life from the Angeles City building collapse and the recent magnitude-7.8 Mindanao earthquake shows how dangerous it is to let outdated building rules stay on the books. While contractors often push back against stricter rules because they prefer cheaper, lower-grade components, allowing weaker rebars into local hardware stores is a recipe for future tragedy. As Trade Secretary Cristina Roque evaluates this industry appeal throughout 2026, the DTI must firmly back the Bureau of Philippine Standards to ensure that every new home, school, and high-rise is built to bend—not break.
