CeMAP named outstanding industry association

MANILA, Philippines - The Cement Manufacturers’ Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) was named 2012 “Outstanding Industry Association” for exemplary health and safety practices and initiatives.

The citation was given at the Recognition Awards for Outstanding Sustainable Development Practices and Initiatives by the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) held recently at Hotel InterContinental Manila.

CeMAP was recognized for its organized platform of practices and related initiatives focusing on preventive measures and global industry benchmarks that cut across national boundaries. Over the years, the association showed a remarkable decreasing trend with respect to lost time injuries. With a total of more than four thousand direct employees, its number of calendar days lost went down from 349 in 2008 to only 42 in 2011.

In addition, CeMAP formulated and promoted “The 10 Commandments of Driving Safely” which can be viewed on the website of Department of Transportation and Communication.

The members of CeMAP are Cemex Philippines, Holcim Philippines, Lafarge Republic, Northern Cement, Pacific Cement and Taiheiyo Cement Philippines.

The annual FPI awarding recognizes outstanding practices in the areas of health and safety, management of waste, optimum use and recycling of resources and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Comprising the Panel of Sustainable Development Leaders for the awards were: DENR Secretary Ramon Paje (overall chairman), former DOH Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan, Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection Juan Romero Nereus Acosta, Earth Day Network president Robert Guevara and Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines president Grace Sapuay.

“The industry association has a responsibility to encourage all its members to pursue sustainable development. The peer pressure for all to achieve this objective encourages more accomplishments in this area. CeMAP did put this for health and safety. It got significant results from all its members precisely because there was an industry-wide effort to do so,” CeMAP President Ernesto Ordoñez said.