THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Environmental Management Bureau has scheduled a public scoping for the proposed increase in capacity and expansion of a ceramic and tile manufacturing project in San Pascual, Batangas.
A notice posted on the EMB’s website showed the scoping is set on August 6, 2025 for the developer to discuss to the public an overview of the proposed project expansion and gather issues and concerns and other relevant information.
The notice said the project is being developed by Time Ceramics Philippines Inc. at an estimated cost of P292 million.
The company said in the document that the project is being proposed due to the growing demand for construction materials in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
Time Ceramics added that the project will leverage locally available raw materials like clay, feldspar and silica to produce cost-effective and sustainable ceramic products while contributing to economic growth through job creation and local resource utilization.
The project can also provide local business opportunities and fiscal income through tax revenues in San Pascual and adjacent municipalities in Batangas, it added.
The company said the project was initially issued with an environmental compliance certificate for a plant with a 49,000 metric ton (MT) capacity but was allowed to expand with flexibility to increase production capacity without additional building or product lines.
The same facility will be used and expansion will be in terms of increasing production output to 450,000 MT at any given time, Time Ceramics said.
The company also assured authorities that the technology it is using can mitigate the release of toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process through a combination of material substitution, process improvements and pollution control.
It said its ceramic coating will not use hazardous substances such as lead, cadmium and chromium-based compounds and instead utilize safer alternatives such as boron-based glazes and low-toxicity pigments.
Time Ceramics explained that its optimization of firing temperatures and use of fast-firing kilns minimize energy consumption and harmful emissions. Nevertheless, it said air pollution control systems such as bathhouse filters, wet scrubbers and activated carbon units will be installed to capture particulate matter, acid gases and other organic compounds before they are released into the environment.
Waste recycling practices and close-loop systems will also be implemented to help reduce toxic waste generation apart from the use of regular ambient air and emission monitoring to ensure compliance with environmental regulations, the company added.
