The tests were conducted by the Metals Industry Research and Development Centre (MIRDC), the Philippine government’s primary testing laboratory for steel.

Citing a certification issued by the MIRDC on Friday, importer Mannage Resources Trading Corp said the steel bars it purchased from China had “more than adequately met the lab’s bendability, tension and strength tests”.

“From the beginning, there was never any doubt on our steel’s quality…It’s obvious that the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute’s (Pisi) unreasonable objections were just ways to make it difficult for us to compete in a market largely dominated by its members,” Mannage Resources president Lawrence Sy said in a statement over the weekend.

Pisi earlier flagged down the 95 million peso (Bt71 million) worth of rebars shipped by Mannage, alleging these were smuggled. The group also questioned the steel’s quality.

After passing all regulatory hurdles, Mannage Resources filed graft charges against customs officials, Pisi president Roberto Cola and Federation of Philippine Industries officers Jesus Arranza and William Ranaga before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly causing unnecessary delays in the shipment’s release.

With safety and quality issues behind them, Sy said his company was now ready to compete and would soon introduce multiple sizes and other steel products to the local market.