Expired cement floods Philippine market

The National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC) has discovered expired, mislabelled and unlabelled cement being sold both in Metro Manila and in the regions of La Union, Davao and Caloocan City.

"We were actually able to buy expired cement in La Union and in Davao, and that’s just an initial sampling. We're sure there are more substandard cement in other parts of the country being offered to unsuspecting consumers," NCFC Spokesman and Legal Counsel Oliver San Antonio said.

The group has filed complaints before the Bureau of Product Standards, asking the office to look into the matter.

The manufacturing date for the said cement bags reportedly goes back to December 2016, which is above the maximum six-month shelf life imposed by the DTI.

Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines President, Ernesto M Ordoñez, said reports received by his office showed that as much as 350,000 bags of old cement were found in La Union and distributed to different points under the name of Buffalo Cement, and Halong brand in Davao.

In the Philippines, Halong Pilipinas is the exclusive distributor of both brands.