Published in Business World, February 5, 1998

United States companies interested in bringing in technology to the Philippines are paying special attention to the development of business in water supply, wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal and hazardous waste treatment "because of the great need for infrastructure improvements in the Philippines."

This, according to the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (USAEP), a program linked to the U.S. government, which intends to facilitate a large number of partnerships between Americans and Asians that mobilize U.S. experience and technology in addressing industrial environmental problems.

Because of such distinct interest in sharing water related technologies, the program has tapped two US-based international professional associations to work in the Philippines.

This resulted in the formation of local chapters of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA), said US-AEP officer Lisa Lumbao.

These organizations complement the program’s work in helping encourage local firms address environmental problems by adopting cleaner technology and pollution prevention measures.

Making known the so-called clean technologies is part of the program’s goal "for newly industrializing countries like the Philippines to learn from the mistakes made by western economies," Ms. Lumbao said in a report.

"There is a great opportunity to affect change in the type of industrial base that Asia will have 20 years from now, since 80% of what will exist in the year 2017 hasn’t been built yet," she added.

In the Philippines, the program has assisted Mandaue City, Cebu tackle its water pollution problem. It facilitated the visit of an environmental action team from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency.

Ms. Lumbao reported polluting industries in the area have formed an association and pledged to install wastewater treatment facilities to reduce their organic pollution by as much as 95% and meet environmental discharge standards.