Philippine Cement Corp. (Philcement) firmly asserted of its compliance with the standards set by the government as shown by the required certifications issued by the Department of Trade and Industry.
“Philcement asserts firmly that the company is compliant with the provisions of DTI AO 17-06 since the company was granted the required certifications by the DTI (Philippine Standard Quality Certification Mark issued on 9 January 2020 and Philippine Standard Quality Certification Mark issued on 10 December 2019),” said Philcement in a statement.
Philcement issued this statement after the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) wrote to DTI alleging of potential standards issue with Philcement products.
Philcement also stressed that upon the conduct of its own independent investigation on this issue raised by CeMAP, the DTI granted a favorable decision to Philcement last 6 April 2020, affirming that the markings and labels of Philcement are in compliance with the guidance and instruction of the Bureau of Philippine Standards, and the same standards have been applied to cement terminals operated by CeMAP member companies.
“CeMAP, as the complainant in the DTI case represented by its Executive Director, Cirilo Pestaño, should have knowledge of the DTI’s resolution of this issue in favor of Philcement. As such, Mr. Pestaño’s recent statements to the media involving Philcement and its brand, Union Cement Super, which are contrary to the clear ruling of the DTI, are thus malicious and irresponsible. Such claims are patently false and provide the public with erroneous and inaccurate information as they do not take into account the fact that the DTI had already concluded that Philcement has complied with the law,” the statement added.
Philcement further said it is a reputable cement industry firm operating nationwide as part of the PHINMA Group, known for its high ethical standards as well as its long history of enhancing the sector to support the country’s need for a stable supply of cement for infrastructure and shelter development, two key levers of economic growth. In relaunching its Union Cement brands, Philcement is addressing the need for high quality cement, which is vital to the success of the government’s Build, Build, Build program.
To pursue its operations in the Philippines, the company said it has poured close to P2.6 billion in investments for its plant and port facility in Mariveles, Bataan and has other expansion projects in the pipeline that will not only support the country’s cement requirements but will also generate jobs and livelihood for our kababayans, in line with our mission to make lives better.
Philcement Corp. is a Filipino cement company established in 2017 and is a majority-owned subsidiary of PHINMA Corporation, a public company listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) under the trading symbol PHN and also has investments in education, property development and hospitality. It sells and distributes its products under PHINMA’s legacy Union Cement brand in markets nationwide.