Business leaders expressed strong support for government law enforcement authorities in ensuring that the activities of Philippine Sanjia Steel Corp. inside the government-owned PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, do not harm Filipinos, communities, or critical infrastructure, and do not pose risks to national interests.
In a strongly worded joint statement, several of the country’s largest business organizations voiced their support for ongoing government investigations and warned against any interference in the work of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Department of National Defense (DND), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) involving Sanjia.
“We commend and stand firmly with National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s stout defense of our national interests; in this case, flagging the severe, unacceptable risks of foreign networks operating illicitly adjacent to a strategic naval installation and under construction navy dry dock, that blatantly violates our territorial security,” according to the statement.
The statement was issued by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Management Association of the Philippines, the Federation of Philippine Industries, the Institute of Corporate Directors, the Philippine Iron and Steel Institute, and Global AI Council PH.
The groups said that what initially emerged as an enforcement action involving regulatory and labor violations has since raised broader concerns over possible lapses in regulation, governance, and oversight. They stressed that these issues warrant careful investigation by the appropriate authorities to safeguard public safety, community welfare, and national interests.
The statement noted public reports on government operations involving the company, which the groups said have raised serious concerns regarding compliance with Philippine laws and the protection of workers and surrounding communities.
They urged authorities to pursue the facts thoroughly, lawfully, and objectively, and to take appropriate action wherever violations are established by competent authorities and courts. “There must be no undue interference, and all actions should remain guided by evidence, due process, and the public interest,” the statement added.
“We stand firmly by our defense and law enforcement agencies in protecting the Filipino people, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring that accountability is pursued through fair, transparent, and evidence-based processes.”
Earlier reports by the Philippine Daily Inquirer said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had ordered the closure of the Chinese-run steel plant after radioactive materials were found within its 22.6-hectare facility at the government-owned PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate.
The report also quoted PAOCC Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda Jr. as saying that the presence of radioactive materials on Sanjia’s premises “falls outside the scope of the company’s hazardous waste generator registration,” constituting a violation of Condition 6 of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990.
Sanjia, through its legal counsel, denied allegations that it uses contaminated or illegal nuclear waste from China, stating that its raw materials have been certified as originating from Japan.
