Philcemcor welcomes DTI probe on substandard cement

Local cement manufacturers welcomed yesterday the quick response of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on several complaints over the reported presence of substandard cement in the market.

The Philippine Cement Manufacturers Corp. (Philcemcor) volunteered the use of its facilities to help the DTI’s Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) in testing cement suspected to have slag additives as it thanked the agency for its move to investigate two local cement brands suspected of selling adulterated products.

The offer was made in view of the DTI’s statement that the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) does not have the capability to test the presence of slag in cement being sold in the market since it is not included in the agency’s standard procedure.

"Since DTI says it has no facilities, we don’t expect anything to come out on Sept. 22 with regards to the presence of slag since the sample cement will be tested only for comprehensive strength," Philcemcor said.

"The DTI can send their own technicians and test their own samples," Philcemcor said.

Philcemcor also qualified that the "presence of an even one-percent slag violates Philippine National Standards (PNS)." PNS allows only a mixture of clinker and gypsum.

Slag, on the other hand, is a waste material from manufacturers of steel which reportedly being imported from Japan by at least two cement firms that allegedly mix the waste material with the Portland-type of cement.

"Portland cement mixed with slag is like buying milk and getting soya milk instead," Philcemcor said.

Several complaints reached the DTI office after consumers, dealers, contractors and builders noticed the color difference of Lucky Cement and Mayon Cement.

Initial testing by the Philcemcor revealed that the two brands of cement contain slag additives that might affect its workability.

Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. had said the monitoring teams from DTI regional offices, particularly in Batangas and Bicol, had already submitted samples of two brands to the BPS to verify their compliance with the PNS for cement.

However, he admitted that the BPS does not have the capability to test the presence of slag, as it is not a standard procedure prompting the Philcemcor to offer the facilities of its member companies.