ENVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez has found an ally in a newly formed advocacy group, which backed her campaign against irresponsible mining.
An antiminining advocate, Lopez has ordered an airtight mining audit of mining operations in the Philippines, including metallic and nonmetallic mines, such as quarry.
The cement manufacturing industry, according to the Kilusang Kontra Katiwalian at Kabulukan (4k), is worth looking into in the fight against irresponsible mining.
In a statement, 4K said the cement-manufacturing industry extracts huge volume of limestone, which poses environmental destruction.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the cement-manufacturing sector is the third-largest industrial source of pollution in the world, emitting more than 500,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.
Such pollution is associated with health and environmental impacts, such as ground-level ozone, acid rain, global warming, water-quality deterioration, and visual impairment and lung diseases to affected population.
Meanwhile, the group urged the Duterte administration to look into the alleged price manipulation of local cement in the Philippines.
The 4k said the cement cartel Cement Manufacturers of the Philippines (Cemap), led by former Trade undersecretary Ernesto Ordoñez, is to be blamed for the artificial shortage of cement.
“With the artificial shortage of cement, the government can’t control the retail prices of cement, and Cemap is the first to benefit from the situation,” said Rodel Pineda, 4K secretary-general.
Pineda also questioned the merger of Holcim Philippines Inc. and Lafarge Republic Inc., which now controls 75 percent of the cement industry. This, the group said, violates the antitrust law.
“How come the PCC [Philippine Competion Commission] let this merger? Our local cement industry is now controlled by foreigners under Cemap and they are making a killing in cement prices because they dictate the retail prices,” Pineda said.
Ordoñez is the president of Cemap and an official of PCC. He said holding two positions constitute conflict of interest in the merger of Holcim and Lafarge.
“This must be investigated by the government and Cemap must be scrapped to stop the monopoloy in the cement industry,” he said.