A manufacturing plant in Misamis Oriental supposedly linked to Tony Yang, brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, was accused of producing “substandard” steel, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The steel manufacturing plant in Tagoloan town, belonging to the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation, was raided by authorities last Friday, leading to the arrest of 69 Chinese and a Filipino who were allegedly running the operation.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame on Tuesday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag explained that the operation stemmed from tips by confidential informants that the factory was producing steel rebars that allegedly failed to comply with Philippine National Standard 49:2020.
“Subsequent laboratory examination and confirmatory testing conducted by DTI Bureau of Philippine Standards allegedly revealed multiple failures in mass variation, elongation and surface deformation requirements,” Matibag noted.
The development “[raises] serious concerns regarding structural integrity and public safety,” he added, claiming that the material had been “widely” distributed.