The proposed integrated copper economic zone in Isabel Leyte province will be expanded to accommodate other heavy industries, copper roadmap private sector leader Angel Veloso said Monday.
“The zone will not be limited to copper-based industries. The concept now is to expand it to all ‘dirty industries.’ These are medium to heavy industries that will include steel manufacturing,” he said.
The government now plans to make all manufacturing economic zones environmentally sound, after earlier urging the private sector to put up investments in copper and related industries.
Veloso said the technical working group assigned to assist the copper industry sector roadmap was looking at options on how to gain access to green technology for the so-called “dirty industries.”
“The assumption is that if and when the locator is ready to locate within the zone, it is already ‘green.’ The zone will make sure that you are green. It’s only a matter of technology,” he said.
A recent forum that sought to upgrade the local manufacturing sector into green industries identified several roadmaps, including copper and its allied sector.
The creation of copper-based industries within a domestic economic zone is one of the objectives of the copper roadmap.
“Unfortunately, the roadmap has been discussed and approved two years but has not been moving. We were the first to finish but nothing has really moved on. For the copper roadmap, the ultimate thing is the integration, then moving on a clustered integrated approach for an ecozone,” Veloso said adding, the sector was frsutrated on the slow response of the government.
He added the industry development council had already endorsed the proposal to the National Development Co. for implementation. NDC owns and operates the 600-hectare Leyte Industrial and Development Estate.