CIAP assure safety, quality standards of imported cement

MANILA, Philippines — The Cement Importers Association of the Philippines (CIAP) have given assurances imported cement being sold in the market by authorized importers have passed safety and quality standards of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“All legally imported cement retailed in the Philippine market are guaranteed to meet stringent quality controls. Our members import cement from various countries, including Vietnam. But wherever imported cement is sourced, we wish to stress that imported cement undergoes a three-tiered quality control procedure mandated by DTI,” CIAP said in a statement.

The statement was issued in response to a claim being made cement imported from Vietnam to the Philippines is of poor quality.

CIAP said even Philippine manufacturers are among those who have been importing cement from Vietnam and selling them under their own brand names.

Citing data from the Bureau of Customs, the CIAP said Philippine cement manufacturers imported 238,000 thousand tons of cement from Vietnam in 2017.

CIAP also said the DTI has strict quality controls in place on cement imports with each and every batch undergoing testing.

Imported cement must pass a 28-day strength requirement in seven days at the latest or such imports would have to stay at warehouses for the whole 28 days.

Under Department Administrative Order 17-06 issued by DTI in 2017, cement can only be imported from manufacturing plants that met stringent accreditation standards.

After being accredited, foreign plants are given a Philippine Standards (PS) quality mark and/or Safety Certification mark to be placed on packaging of imports.

When the cement arrives in the Philippines, the DTI conducts a post-shipment inspection and testing for quality confirmation.

Only those with PS mark can be sold in the market.

“Although the ideal situation is for unannounced audits, local manufacturers undergo only once-a-year audits and the audits are even announced and mutually scheduled. In other words, cement products of local manufacturers are tested only once a year,” CIAP said.