Presidential aspirant Manila Mayor Isko “Moreno” Domagoso said that he will support the revival of the National Steel Corporation (NSC).

“As I have said, we need to create more jobs, jobs, jobs. At least 4.2 million Filipinos lost their jobs in the past two years, and creating an industry like steel manufacturing or producing steel is a good venture for our country,” Moreno said in an interview on Wednesday, March 30.

“For example, ‘yung black sand, tapos meron tayong nickel, tapos puwede naman tayong kumuha ng ore sa Indonesia (we have black sand, then we have nickel, then we can get ore from Indonesia), we bring it here, we produce stainless steel. And nowadays, stainless steel in the world, ang high ng demand (the demand is high),” he added.

The Iligan Steel Mill was established in 1952 as a government-initiated project implemented by the National Shipyards and Steel Corporation (NASSCO). The company was sold in 1963 to Iligan Integrated Steel Mills, Inc. of the Jacinto family.

Upon the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, the Marcos government confiscated the steel facilities. In 1974, the assets were acquired by the newly incorporated National Steel Corporation, the name by which it is known today.

NSC was later acquired by Wing Tiek of the Malaysian Westmont Group during the Ramos administration in 1995 but was severely affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In 2000, the Estrada government ordered for NSC's liquidation.

During the Macapagal-Arroyo administration in 2004, the facility was acquired by Ispat Industries Ltd. of India but was then again forced to close in 2009 due to financial and labor issues.

The Iligan city government tried to auction off the steel mill in 2016 but there were no interested bidders.

The properties associated with the steel mill were then forfeited in favor of the Iligan City government.

“So, instead na ‘yung nickel natin, o ‘yung iba pang minerals na ginagamit para makapag-produce nito (steel) ay pinadadala natin sa ibang bansa, bakit hindi na lamang natin hikayatin itong mga nag-mimina na dito na. Pagka-mina, mag-create pa tayo ng isang industriya which is manufacturing, which is producing finished products (So, instead of sending our nickel or the other minerals used to produce it (steel) to other countries, why don't we just encourage these miners who are already here to make it here. After mining, let's create an industry which is manufacturing, which is producing finished products),” Domagoso said.

“And I think that can be done. And that can be afforded by our investors because marami tayong skilled Filipinos and madali tayong matuto, madali tayong mag-adjust (because we have many skilled Filipinos and we easily learn, we easily adjust). So, I think kaya natin ‘yon maibalik pagdating ng araw, may awa ang Diyos (we can bring it back when the day comes, God have mercy),” he added.