The municipality of Sta. Maria in Bulacan has issued the implementing rules on the total ban of induction furnaces, making it the first in the country to stop the use of these environmentally destructive equipment in steel making.

The IRR (Internal Rules and Reuilations), signed by Sta. Maria Mayor Bartolome Ramos and the heads of the concerned departments, enforces the ordinance approved by the Municipal Council last year and the Bulacan Provincial Board in June.

The IRR has been posted on the official Facebook page and municipal bulletin board of Sta. Maria, making it immediately executory. It seeks to encourage the modernization of steel smelting and making in the locality, with the primary purpose of protecting the environment from the ill effects of induction furnaces.

The municipality now mandates all firms involved in steel making to dismantle all their induction furnaces and transition to a more environmentally friendly equipment within six months from the release of the IRR.

Sta. Maria will revoke the business permits of companies that will violate the ordinance. Violators also face monetary fines and up to six months imprisonment.

The municipality passed the ordinance following complaints from civic groups and its constituents on the use of induction furnace by a steelmaker in the town, producing black smoke and foul smell that not only inconvenienced the people but also wreaked havoc on the environment.

In an order dated 8 August 2024, Mayor Ramos suspended the operations of Hightension Industrial Corporation following a complaint filed by the environmental NGO SEEDS PH.