Trade dept denies claims over QT steel

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday denied allegations made by a former lawmaker and a structural engineer late last week that quenched and tempered (QT) steel bars were unsafe for constructing tall buildings.

In an online statement, DTI said it found no “factual or technical basis to support the allegation that QT steel is unsafe for high-rise construction” after consulting with the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA), Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI), Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP), and other stakeholders.