Cement makers expect slower demand this year

MANILA, Philippines — Cement manufacturers expect demand to be flat or post single-digit decline this year due to weak government spending amid the flood control controversy that unraveled last year.

“We hope at least a flat market,” Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) president John Reinier Dizon told reporters on the sidelines of the 2026 Tatak Pinoy Expo, when asked for an outlook on demand for this year.

However, he also said that demand may post a single-digit decline due to slow government spending on infrastructure projects.

He said that the government has implemented stricter measures following the revelation of corruption issues in flood control projects last year.

“What they’ve done is they did some cleaning up…they also got new people. But now they’re also stricter. The budget was also reduced,” he said.

He said that the government accounts for about 40 percent of demand for cement and construction materials.

Apart from weak government spending, Dizon said higher prices have also affected cement demand.

While there is demand coming from individual home builders, he said that the group is not seeing much demand from the bigger property developers.

CeMAP is hopeful that government spending could pick up by the end of the current quarter or starting the third quarter of this year.

The group is also pushing for the government’s use of locally manufactured products, amid the entry of imports.

“If you buy local, you can be sure that we follow the Philippine National Standard,” he said.