The Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society of the Philippines (SEEDS PH) on Tuesday said it has called on Sta. Maria, Bulacan Mayor Bartolome “Omeng” R. Ramos to immediately implement a local ordinance banning the use of induction furnaces in steelmaking, warning that further delay could expose local officials to liability for negligence and dereliction of duty.

In its formal position conveyed to the mayor, SEEDS PH stressed that Ordinance No. 704 and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) are already executory and explicitly prohibit the use of induction furnaces, which the group described as environmentally destructive and harmful to public health and safety.

The ordinance gives steel manufacturers six months to upgrade to modern machinery, after which non-compliant induction furnaces must be dismantled or removed from factory premises. SEEDS PH said the six-month period lapsed in December 2025, leaving no legal basis for continued operations using induction furnaces.

The group also opposed a Compliance Action Plan submitted on 7 January, by Hightension Industrial Corp., which seeks a 24- to 36-month transition period to modernize its equipment. According to SEEDS PH, the proposal runs counter to the ordinance because it fails to address the ongoing use of induction furnaces, which are already strictly prohibited under the law.

“When we inquired about the status of the implementation of this ordinance and its IRR, we found out that Hightension Industrial Corporation submitted on January 7, 2026, a Compliance Action Plan. The proposed timeline is clearly inconsistent with Ordinance No. 704 and its IRR, and does not address the continuing and present violation arising from the ongoing use of an induction furnace—an act that is already expressly prohibited. While the Compliance Action Plan discusses modernization, it does not justify or excuse the continued operation of equipment that the law has banned outright,” SEEDS PH said.

The group stressed that what remains under the ordinance is no longer a transition period but the dismantling or removal of equipment that failed to modernize on time.

SEEDS PH emphasized that Ordinance No. 704 was enacted primarily to protect the ecological condition of Sta. Maria and the health and safety of its residents, not merely to regulate business operations.

“Environmental protection and public welfare must take precedence over private commercial interests,” the group said.

Under Section 17 of the ordinance, violations may result in the cancellation of a mayor’s permit without judicial hearing, as well as fines ranging from P1,000 to P2,500, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.

The group urged the local government to immediately halt all induction furnace operations in the municipality, deny requests for extended transition periods, and enforce the removal of non-compliant equipment in accordance with the law.