CIDG seizes P40M substandard steel, roofing in Cavite raid
MANILA, Philippines—Several substandard construction materials, some sold to “Yolanda”-ravaged areas and worth about P40 million, were seized by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Wednesday inside a Cavite province warehouse.
About 16,000 pieces of eight millimeter rolled steel bars, 600 tons of substandard angle bars of different sized, uncertified Galvanized Iron (GI) wires and roofing materials were confiscated by the police in a search operation at a warehouse in Golden Gate Business Park in Barangay (village), Buenavista town.
The operation was under the orders of former senator and Rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson, through the recommendation of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory Domingo, to investigate the proliferation of the such materials.
Steeltower Steel Corporation, which is owned by Alex Go, Andrew Go, Jason Ang, James Ang and Jintuan Wu, was raided by the CIDG Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Unit (AFCCU) led by its chief, Senior Superintendent Bartolome Bustamante.
Only Andrew Go and Jason Ang, however, were arrested by the CIDG.
The search warrant was compliant to the orders of the Manila Regional trial Court (RTC) Branch 53 for violation of Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
In a statement, Police Director Benjamin Magalong, CIDG chief, also said that the smuggled substandard construction materials are sold to typhoon-ravaged areas, particularly those affected by Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”
While some of the products were seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Magalong said several bulks of the materials have made their way to the local market.
Chief Inspector Elizabeth Jasmin, CIDG spokesperson, said in a phone interview that the arrested owners might be brought either to the CIDG’s regional office or to the AFCCU in Camp Crame.
The CIDG was also tapped by Lacson to look into the anomaly behind the overpriced yet substandard bunkhouses for Yolanda survivors in Visayas.
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