Apo Cement to lay off employees

CEBU. In this photo taken three days after the massive landslide in the City of Naga, the Apo Land and Quarry Corp. did a clearing operation inside their compound. (SunStar photo/Alex Badayos)
CEBU. In this photo taken three days after the massive landslide in the City of Naga, the Apo Land and Quarry Corp. did a clearing operation inside their compound. (SunStar photo/Alex Badayos)

APO CEMENT CORP. will temporarily lay off some of its employees and reduce some of its contractors.

Apo Cement made the decision close to two months after local and national officials suspended the quarry operations of its partner, Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC), following the deadly landslide in Barangay Tina-an, City of Naga last Sept. 20.

Chito Maniago, Apo Cement spokesman, said 100 of their 300 regular employees and 300 of their 800 contractual workers will be out of work for six months, starting on Dec. 13.

Members of Apo Cement’s employees’ union are contemplating filing a complaint against their employer if it proceeds with the plan.

Maniago said they already filed a formal notice before the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 regarding the company’s decision, citing “lack of raw materials.”

In a text message, Dole 7 Director Johnson Cañete confirmed receiving Apo Cement’s notice.

But Cañete, who was in Butuan, could not elaborate since his personnel was not able to contact Apo Cement’s human resources officer.

In an interview on Tuesday, Nov. 13, Maniago told SunStar Cebu that before informing the media of their decision, they held a meeting with their employees and contractors at their plant in Barangay Tina-an.

He admitted that informing the employees of the company’s decision was “painful.”

Maniago said the ongoing suspension of ALQC’s operations has “adversely affected” Apo Cement’s operations.

ALQC’s operations have been suspended four times since the landslide.

The first suspension came from the City of Naga. This was followed by the suspension from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which became a nationwide suspension of all quarrying operations.

The third suspension came from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office. The latest suspension came from the Regional Trial Court in the City of Naga, which issued a temporary environmental protection order against ALQC following the filing of a P4.5-billion suit against the firm and five other agencies.

The four suspension orders, which also targeted other quarrying operations in the City of Naga, remain in force.

Maniago said Apo Cement was highly dependent on ALQC’s operations in the City of Naga as the latter’s raw materials, particularly limestone, were sourced from the city.

Maniago said that with ALQC’s suspension, Apo Cement currently gets its raw materials from different parts of the country and abroad, which costs more.

“Apo Cement, the second largest cement plant in the country, is saddened by the difficult actions it is forced to take at this time, especially as its products are helping support the Philippine Government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure development program in the Visayas and Mindanao regions,” Maniago said.

But members of the Apo Cement Corp. Employees’ Union (ACCEU) were shocked when they heard some of their colleagues would be out of work.

“Timing pa gyud nga hapit na Pasko ug New Year (The timing is really bad because of Christmas and the New Year),” said ACCEU president Johnrel Goles.

Majority of those who will be affected by the temporary layoff are assigned in the production, warehousing and packing units.

Even newly hired employees were affected, Goles said.

He said they wanted to negotiate with the management to continue their employment even if it means doing rotation work at the plant.

If Apo Cement turns down their request, Goles said, he and his members might file a complaint against their employer before the National Labor Relations Commission.

Before ALQC’s operations were suspended, Apo Cement produced around 275,000 bags of cement daily in their plant in the City of Naga.

Following the suspension, Apo Cement’s daily production fell drastically, Maniago said.

Meanwhile, the Cebu Contractors Association’s public information officer Bernard Sia said there is no shortage of cement in Cebu despite Apo Cement’s situation.

There are other cement companies that can support the construction industry, he said.

Cebu is also home to Mabuhay Cement and Taiheiyo Cement Philippines.

Holcim Philippines, which is based in Iligan City, also provides cement in Cebu, he said.

Sia said they have been coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry 7 to monitor cement prices since last September’s landslide.

“This is to make sure that there are no price increases for cement, especially days after the landslide. So far, cement (price) has been stable the last few months. Even the prices in our retail did not increase,” he said. (with JOB)

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