MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is partnering with a steel manufacturing company in the implementation of a program aimed at protecting the environment and supporting local communities.
The partnership was formalized with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Steel Asia Manufacturing Corp. chairman and CEO Ben Yao.
The MOU commits the DENR and Steel Asia to collaborate on creating “mini ecological economic zones” in areas where plants of the country’s largest steel producer are located, and using a framework called sustainable integrated area development (SIAD).
SIAD is a strategy that incorporates environmental considerations with social justice and human development—where local communities are provided with sustainable livelihood and trained to conserve the environment.
“The MOU with Steel Asia aims to harness human and physical resources, promote best practices, and implement programs for the environment, as well as strengthen the DENR’s partnership with the private sector,” Cimatu said.
He said that even before partnering with the DENR, Steel Asia has become “a model in responsible enterprise pursuing the principles of sustainable development” being one of the early proponents of “green” manufacturing in the country.
For his part, Yao shared his vision of the Philippines as the world’s most modern steel industry “without having to harm the environment.”
“Guided by the DENR’s directions, we have done this (partnership) in order to achieve this goal of an environmentally friendly future,” he pointed out.Under the MOU, the DENR and Steel Asia agreed to work together in implementing programs seeking to “reduce carbon footprints in the environment, alleviate solid waste management and generally help improve the ecological condition of the country.”