For the fifth straight year, Holcim Philippines, Inc. received the top honors in the 59th Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference on Nov. 16, as it was recognized by regulators and industry peers for safe and environmentally-friendly quarry operations.
Holcim Philippines’s La Union and Davao plants bagged Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Awards (PMIEA) for the Quarry Category, with the former winning this for the second consecutive year. The company’s Davao plant, meanwhile, won its second PMIEA in the last three years.
The PMIEA is handed out by a joint public and private sector panel to a company with the best overall program for quarry rehabilitation, environment protection, safe operations and social and community development. 
The company’s facilities in Lugait, Misamis Oriental and Bulacan also bagged Platinum Awards, the second highest recognition after the PMIEA. The Lugait plant was also declared Best in Mining Forest program—the seventh time in eight years—for its efforts to rehabilitate mined-out areas.
Holcim Philippines Chief Operating Officer Roland van Wijnen thanked the organizers for continuing to recognize the company’s initiatives to keep its quarry operations safe and environment friendly. He also urged the mining sector to continue striving for improvement in these areas.
“These awards show that the mining industry is not as bad as some people say. There are groups actively implementing measures to improve operations. In particular, we are getting good results at Holcim, but we want to be better. We might be good now, but we should always strive to be better everyday in the various aspects of our operations,” he added.
Davao Plant Manager Joe Bernal thanked his team for their efforts and noted that the awards prove the plant is moving in the right direction for environment protection and safety.
“It is an honor for our plant to win this award. It is a manifestation that we live up to our commitments to high standards of quality, health and safety, environmental performance, sustainable development and partnership with the community. All these would not be possible if not for the passion and dedication of our people who strongly commit to what we stand for. With our collected efforts, we are able to sustain and even improve our best mining practices,” Bernal said.
On the other hand, La Union Plant Manager Andy White said the facility’s second consecutive PMIEA affirmed the company’s core value of running the operations hand in hand with the environment and the community.
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