The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS) has pushed for cement importers to comply with the requirements of Philippine National Standard (PNS) for cement.  
 
DTI-BPS Director Jesus L. Motoomull said the department regulates the sale of cement in the market to protect the welfare of consumers through its Product Certification Scheme, wherein importers and distributors of cement are required to comply with the requirements of the relevant PNS for cement.  
 
When a cement product successfully passes the required tests, the DTI-BPS issues the Import commodity Clearance (ICC) to its importer or distributor to sell and distribute this to the local market affixed with the ICC mark.  
 
The DTI-BPS Technical Committee on Cement and Lime (BPS/TC 03), which is composed of representatives from industry associations, consumer organizations, academe, professional associations, and other concerned government agencies, has developed the PNS for Portland Cement and Blended Hydraulic Cement with Pozzolan (PNS 63:2007).  
 
The BPS/TC 03 members used the relevant American Society for Testing Materials Standard (ASTM) Specification as reference standard to ensure that the PNS developed is at par with international standards.  
 
Motoomull clarifies that the standards set by the Philippine government are not inferior to the Chinese standards for cement.