Politics · Philippines Bureau
Marcos warns substandard steel trade rivals POGO menace in scale
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has likened the illegal trade of substandard steel to the societal damage caused by Philippine offshore gaming operators, suggesting the infrastructure problem may have deeper roots than previously acknowledged. The president indicated the illicit steel trade could have emerged as early as 2018 and warned the issue may be more widespread than currently understood.
LSN Philippines ·
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has drawn a stark comparison between the proliferation of substandard steel in Philippine markets and the social crisis spawned by Philippine offshore gaming operators, suggesting both represent systemic threats to the nation's stability and development.
Marcos indicated that the illegal trade in defective steel may have begun circulating through Philippine supply chains as far back as 2018, a timeline that extends the problem's reach well beyond recent discovery. The president cautioned that current assessments of the scale and impact of substandard steel imports may significantly underestimate the true extent of the crisis.
The comparison to the POGO problem underscores administration concerns about how widespread underground networks can embed themselves in the economy and society before detection. Steel quality directly affects construction safety and infrastructure integrity, making the trade in substandard materials a public safety issue with potentially far-reaching consequences for buildings, bridges, and other critical structures.
The remarks reflect growing official concern about supply chain vulnerabilities and the need for enhanced monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent the distribution of compromised materials through domestic markets.