The government is tightening its grip on cement quality control, rolling out stricter certification requirements aimed at preventing substandard imports from reaching construction sites before passing mandatory inspections.
Under Memorandum Circular No. 26-02, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) strengthened the country’s mandatory cement certification regime by updating technical standards and tightening oversight of imported shipments, a move seen as both a consumer protection measure and a bid to level the playing field for compliant manufacturers.
The circular, which supplements Department Administrative Order 17-06, adopts revised Philippine National Standards for Portland Cement and Blended Hydraulic Cement with Pozzolan. The updated rules introduce expanded cement classifications, enhanced testing protocols, stricter technical specifications, and new bag-marking requirements designed to improve product traceability.
At the heart of the reforms is an overhaul of the Statement of Confirmation (SOC) process for imported cement. While importers may still secure a Certificate of Conditional Release after submitting complete documents, shipments can no longer be sold, distributed, or used until they pass post-shipment inspections, laboratory testing, and obtain an SOC from regulators.
The tighter controls address longstanding concerns over imported cement entering the market before completing required quality checks, a practice that industry players have argued distorts competition and raises risks for consumers and infrastructure projects.
To prevent delays from clogging supply chains, the DTI’s Bureau of Philippine Standards established fixed timelines for inspections, sampling, testing, and SOC issuance. Shipments that fail laboratory tests will face additional verification, while non-compliant products risk certification denial and disposal.
The rules also require manufacturers that use limestone in Portland cement to disclose key technical information, including limestone content and carbon dioxide levels, enhancing transparency as sustainability and product performance become increasingly important to buyers.
Manufacturers and importers have six months to comply, signaling a tougher regulatory environment for an industry central to the country’s infrastructure ambitions.
