PASAR president assures firm is in for the long haul

ISABEL, LEYTE, Philippines – The Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp (PASAR), the country’s only copper smelter and refinery located in this town, “is here to stay and intends to be in business for a long time,” according to its president Sias Els.

Els of the Swiss-based Glencore International AG, which operates PASAR, issued the assurance to management personnel and employees this week denying rumors that it will stop operations for good.

The operations of PASAR’s acid plant or electrostatic precipitator (EP) had stopped after it was razed by a fire of still unknown origin on January 2, this year.

Even if the plant could still run and produce copper cathodes, its main product, Glencore chose to totally stop operating so as not to sacrifice the environment and the surrounding community. PASAR’s assistant vice president for community relations, J. Paul R. Tan, said the acid plant was vital to the plant’s anti-pollution devices.

Along with Els’ assurance that PASAR will definitely resurrect from the ashes, he told the employees that, while clearing works on the site of the burnt structures are going on, the firm’s partners in China will be making their first inspection of the EP, being fabricated there to replace the destroyed machinery.

“The first delivery of equipment is only weeks away, and will be followed by another two deliveries shortly thereafter,” said Els as quoted by Copperflash, the company’s official newsletter. 

Contrary to rumors also that it will take at least 18 months for the company to resume operations from the time its stopped last January, Els said “we are targeting a restart of operations by midyear.”

The PASAR president also reminded its employees that despite suffering losses of around US$4-million a month, the company has remained steadfast in providing for its employees, albeit with lesser perks than usual.

He said businesses hit by similar situations normally let their employees go on “forced leave” as allowed by law and “will not even think of giving bonuses” to deserving loyal employees.

PASAR is “different”, said Els explaining that its “shareholders believe that its greatest asset are its people, and will continue to let employees go to work for as long as they pool in to help the plant back in operation in the soonest, and will give a bonus that was well deserved and well earned by the employees.”

Els said PASAR is a company that, “in such trying times in its corporate life, remains a responsible corporate citizen and takes care of all stakeholders affected by the fire incident: its employees, its suppliers, and the community.”

Tan, for his part, confirmed reports that they’ve lost around 15 skilled operators who were immediately lapped up by a foreign employer after the plant burned down. - THE FREEMAN