Cement testing lab clears Island Portland Cement

The largest cement testing laboratory in the country yesterday took the cudgels for Solid Cement Corp., saying the company’s Island Portland Cement which was banned by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last week for being "substandard" actually passed all its quality tests.

In a statement, Cement Testing Center Manager Noel de la Cruz said the Island Cement brand has "consistently" complied with all critical parameters "that will assure the integrity of structures and buildings." He said Island Cement passed all three basic determinants for quality: compressive strength, setting time, and expansion.

"Several tests over the past years have shown that Island Cement had consistently passed government standards and that there is nothing at all that will compromise the integrity of buildings and structures using Island Cement," he said without going into details. The testing center said it systematically obtains plant and market samples of all brands and types of cement every month for "rigorous testing."