A STEEL industry leader is urging the government to mandate the new Philippine National Standard (PNS) 49:2026 for deformed steel bars and ban the use of induction furnaces (IF) in construction-grade steel production, citing two recent disasters: the collapse of a nine-story building in Balibago, Pampanga, on May 24 that killed at least 17 people, and the magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Sarangani, Mindanao, that left General Santos City reeling under Intensity 7. “Filipino lives are at stake. We should not be complacent and we should not wait for another tragedy to occur before taking decisive action,” said Ronald Magsajo, South...