HOLCIM Philippines assured enough cement reserves to support Davao Region and Mindanao’s continued development and growing demand.
“In terms of long-term direction, we still have enough [cement reserves],” Holcim Philippines senior vice president for sales William Sumalinog said during the Habi at Kape media forum Wednesday, August 13.
“That is always a consideration in terms of expansion. As what you can see, we have enough reserves. Maybe not in the adjacent area of the plant but we have a lot of areas where we have started exploring and developing,” he added.
The company is set to expand sites in Iligan City and Saranggani Province soon.
“We will continue to support the development in Mindanao and in fact, the expansions that we have in Mindanao is really ‘cement of Mindanao, for Mindanao, that is really our tagline why we are expanding. This will cater the future development,” he said.
In data presented, Holcim Philippines Davao plant now produce 2.4 million metric tons (MT) of cement from 1.5 million MT in the previous year. Sumalinog reiterated the need for expansion in other areas in Mindanao.
He said there has been increase in the demand from Mindanao in the last two years, mostly coming from the private sector construction.
Mindanao Development Authority deputy executive director Romeo Montenegro, however, said the demand from the government is also increasing from upsurge of projects and construction of public infrastructures targeted to be implemented within the year.
For 2019, the government is eyeing 1,267 kilometers (km) of roads and 118 km of bridges in Mindanao alone.
“Right now, the demand for cement is already up there even just for the private sector construction, how much if we add accelerated spending for big ticket projects [of the government],” he said.
Meanwhile, Sumalinog said the cement company is not only working on with expansion projects but also local partnerships, capacity building programs, and implement programs to strengthen safety culture in their operations.
Early this year, the company agreed to provide the Davao Constructors
Association Center, Inc. (DCACI) with 400,000 MT of cement in 2019, guaranteeing supply to its 179 members.
“We also opened here in Davao last November our first ever construction laboratory outside Metro Manila to complement our two mobile laboratories stationed here. The facility can provide technical support such as soil and concrete analysis that can help builders in implementing their projects,” Sumalinog said.