Cement, unless we are about to build our houses, is something we generally ignore. But for the construction and real estate industry, it is the basis of their existence, the raw material that makes possible the many projects that are constantly being built: houses, roads, buildings. It’s not a stretch to say that cement, once transformed into concrete, provides the material face to society and culture.

In general, cement is also an indicator of progress and civilization. The more a country needs cement, the more it is on track on its development plans. For cement, as we know, is also used in public structures and spaces. Churches, hospitals, schools use cement to get built as well as basketball courts, parks, monuments, even works of art. The Bangui windmills, white against the blue of Ilocos Norte’s sky and sea, are also made of cement.

In the country, we know how some politicians use cement as a bargaining tool for votes. Near election time, a street magically “happens” and will somehow not get finished until the crucial day, lest the constituents forget the “right” name that they should affix on their ballots. 

Recently, I attended Holcim’s “Cement 101: An Appreciation of the Cement Industry for Media Practitioners,” at the company’s plant in Bacnotan, La Union and at the Baguio Country Club. A Swiss company, Holcim is the biggest producer and exporter of cement, courtesy of its four plants humming efficiently and churning out bags after bags of this gray powder. 

During the two-day event, the attendees were in rapt attention to the Power Point presentations of Holcim’s Business Expansion head Rey Cervera and senior vice president (Aggregates and Construction Materials) Francis Felizardo. They covered everything from how cement is made, to how it still remains the best material for construction because of its availability and cheap cost, to how it gets transformed to the structures where we live, work and play. They also covered the economics of cement, with special emphasis on how it energizes nation building and development.

It’s interesting to note that it was during the term of President Fidel Ramos when the need for cement skyrocketed and ironically, when it plummeted to an all-time low. Government spending was merrily exceeding private spending in construction when the Asian crisis happened, sending everything into a tailspin. Many real estate companies went bankrupt and the many projects geared to making the Philippines a tiger economy screeched to a grinding halt.

It was also during this time that the cement industry was gravely affected. A slew of consolidations and acquisitions happened: local players were forced to sell to multi-nationals. From 20 active players, less than 10 remain, with three of them controlling most of the market: Holcim, Cemex and Lafarge.

Last year, despite the global financial crisis, the construction sector grew to eight percent and this growth shows no sign of waning, perhaps because the election is just around the corner and roads and bridges are once again being made, paved, or redone. Real estate players are not holding themselves back from constructing their high-rises and subdivisions as well. Factors such as China’s cheap and constant supply of raw materials, OFWs’ confidence in the local economy than that of the countries where they work, and the economy’s general good health encourage fresh investments and developments.

But we still have a lot of catching up to do in the regional scale. We lag behind Malaysia and Thailand that have a general growth curve in terms of cement requirement. China’s demand, expectedly, has shot up, energized by the Olympics and their bustling economy. We more or less share the same cement demand with our fellow archipelagic country, Indonesia. Vietnam, on the other hand, has grown by leaps and bounds, surpassing both the Philippines and Indonesia.

One way for Holcim to propel consumer demand is through product diversification. Not too long ago, they introduced Holcim Wallright, “a masonry cement used specifically for hollow block laying, filling and plastering.” Compared to the general-purpose cement, Holcim claims that Wallright has a higher workability (ease of use), better quality finish and efficiency and superior bond strength. It is in fact used for a restoration project of a crumbling pediment of centuries-old church in Ilocos Norte.

“Cement 101” was an eye-opener, especially to the fact that many people rely on this simple product for their livelihood—corporate officials, builders and developers, plant supervisors, engineers, masons, construction workers. Admittedly, I learned many things about cement than I cared to know. Which is just as well so each time I walk on the road, sleep in my room or work in the office, I can always say, “Yes, cement made this happen.”