THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will file a case against five steel mills accused of emitting high air pollution levels that pose serious hazards to public health and the environment, the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) said yesterday. The companies are: Melter Steel Corp, Real Steel Corp, Wan Chiong Steel Corp, Metro Dragon Steel Corp, and Davao Mighty Steel Corp. The DENR investigated these firms following complaints on their alleged violation of the Clean Air Act or Republic Act. No. 8749. The PISI said the companies were members of the Philippine Induction Smelting Industry Association (PISIA), which use induction furnace for steel manufacturing, an equipment called by the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council (AISC) obsolete, and has been banned in China due to the pollution it causes and substandard steel that it produces. The AISC has said that induction furnace facilities are environmentally unfriendly. “Given the veracity of the allegations, the investigation must be completed as quickly as possible so that we can take immediate measures to address the problem and, if necessary, hold these companies accountable for their pollution,” DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has earlier said. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

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