Watch out! Cement will be unaffordable soon!

Don’t look now, but if we don’t watch carefully the developments in the cement industry, someday we will all be paying a high price for made-in-the-Philippines cement. If you didn’t know, the famous Apo Cement Company (yes, the Golden Gate Bridge was built with Cebu’s Apocemco cement), which used to be owned by D.O. Plaza and later bought by Gokongwei, is now called CEMEX and is owned by a huge Mexican cement conglomerate. In Danao City, 30 kilometers north of Cebu City, what used to be the Universal Cement Corp. is now called the La Farge Cement Company which, I believe, is also foreign-owned.

Now I’m one of the few Filipinos who believe that foreigners should be allowed to own land here so more of them can invest in our country. But the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) must assure us that not one foreign group or a cartel of foreigners should have full control of an important resource such as cement. After all, a great majority of Filipinos are still considered homeless. In a country like the Philippines where typhoons come with uncanny regularity, only homes built with cement are able to withstand their force. So there is no question that if housing is a basic need of Filipinos, then you can say that cement must also be a basic need and therefore, the DTI should look into what’s happening in the cement industry.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about this issue when Holcim Philippines Inc. thought it could take full control of what used to be Union Cement, by buying only the key or controlling stock to the detriment of the small stockholders. But thanks to a decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Holcim was not about to get away with this handsome deal.

But suddenly, enter the Court of Appeals, which stopped the SEC from enforcing its instruction to Cemco Holdings Inc. to buy out the minority shareholders of publicly listed cement firm Holcim Philippines Inc.

The SEC, in response to a petition of a minority shareholder, earlier ruled that Cemco’s purchase was covered by the mandatory tender offer rule and ordered Cemco to buy out UCC’s other shareholders. However, the SEC was issued a 60-day temporary restraining order by the Court of Appeals, which took in effect on Feb. 14. I would like to emphasize that the fight between the majority and minority stockholders should be placed under the control of the SEC and not the courts’, and I hope that the justices of the Court of Appeals clearly understand this.

But while we’re concerned that majority stockholders can stomp on the minority with ease, we are comforted that the SEC does pay attention to these major issues, especially where a foreign company is concerned. Hence, I fully concur with the decision of SEC chairwoman Fe Barin in trying to protect the minority stockholders. But the bigger issue that seems to be raging like wildfire, but only a few people seems to have noticed is that if the Arroyo administration does not step into this controversy, someday a loud cry from the people will be heard why all of the sudden we are paying world-market prices for cement taken from Philippine soil. That, my friends, is something we should all ponder and watch carefully before it is too late!

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Here’s a letter response to our article about the search for the grave of that unsung American hero of Cebu, Col. James Cushing. This letter is self-explanatory and I fully agree with the writer’s views:

"Dear Mr. Avila, This is in connection with your two-part series in your column ‘Our heroes’ resting place: Is it really final?’ I would like to sympathize with and add confirmation to your observation of our nation’s and our people’s lack of history. The state of the Libingan ng mga Bayani (although I’m not quite familiar with it) would not surprise me — if it is neglected or ill-maintained. I don’t know if it’s the same as the American cemetery, but when I got to visit the American cemetery a few years ago, I was so impressed at how it was well-maintained.

"There’s a cemetery in Batangas City where there’s a marker (or is it a tombstone?) for Filipino revolutionaries which was quite neglected and cramped out by the other graves. In addition, I also got to visit Arlington Cemetery and one thing that struck me was how the Americans revere their past and the people who had served their country. I even got to see the grave of Gen. Lawton. The changing of the guards for the tomb of the unknown soldier was very solemn.

"And one time while I was in San Antonio, Texas, I got lost and ended up in a cemetery only to find the tombstone of a soldier who served in the Philippines during the early period of American rule. The way this tombstone was built, it was like a monument in itself. I guess this is maybe the reason why countries like America are prosperous and considered great nations.

"And now to my point (as per the subject of my e-mail), as we all know Manila was one of the most devastated (places) at the end of WWII. But as we can see today, it took about 50 years for a monument to be erected in memory of the 100,000 civilians who where caught in the crossfire. And also, at least one ruined building should have been preserved as a reminder of the last war.

"I also cannot remember a well-maintained WWII monument or marker that I saw along the highway when I was passing through Tarlac a few years ago. I do not even recall a statue or monument being erected for a Filipino guerrilla. But in one of those cases of ‘only in the Philippines,’ a Japanese kamikaze pilot statue was erected in Mabalacat, Pampanga. Isn’t it ironic and quite callous? The people who must have thought of this were probably Makapilis.

"Where is our sense of history here? I am not being anti-Japanese or being pro-American here. I would just like to state that probably the way things are going for our country and the things that are happening in our beloved country are a by-product of our lack of proper understanding, respect and pride in our history as a people. Hindi tayo lumilingon sa ating pinanggalingan. Sincerely, Conrado A. Bugayong II... a Filipino!

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talk show, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday only, at 8 p.m., in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.