Lafarge Republic & Global Power team up for special cement variant
Lafarge Republic, Inc (LRI) and Global Business Power Corporation (GBPC) have launched an initiative aimed to lower the costs of rehabilitation projects, such as the rebuilding efforts for Yolanda- and the Bohol earthquake-affected areas of the Philippines, through the introduction of a special cement variant called “Kapit–Balay” cement.
Kapit-Balay cement is a result of the Total Ash management partnership between LRI and GBPC. Under this collaboration, Lafarge utilises the fly ash from GBPC. Under the partnership, the two companies worked on optimising the cost of producing the special cement variant, which enables them to contribute in lowering the overall cost of rebuilding with the additional support from Lafarge's packaging partner and a direct sales distribution model to rehabilitation projects.
The new cement variant will be sold directly to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Habitat for Humanity and Gawad Kalinga, interested local government units, and the National Housing Authority (NHA) to aid them in their efforts to "build back better" the permanent individual and mass housing necessary to normalize the lives of the victims of recent calamities.
"With Lafarge innovation and sustainability at the core of Kapit-Balay cement, we are proud to see this product used in constructing homes and other structures for the hundreds of families displaced by the recent calamities," shared LRI President Renato Sunico. "We are equally privileged to partner with GBPC who produces consistently good quality fly ash, coming from CFB technology plants, that meets LRI's standards."
Possessing good workability, smoother finish, enhanced durability, and good strength, Kapit-Balay Cement will allow for faster, more affordable construction of resettlement communities while providing the appropriate structural strength suited for Individual and Mass housing structures being built by the NGOs, the LGUs and the NHA. It also exceeds the PNS and ASTM standards for pozzolan cement.
GBPC Chairman Francisco Sebastian said that "GBPC has always made its obligation to ensure the community's health, safety, security and development. This is one of the activities wherein we have identified and taken into actions the community's needs, while having a partner with the same vision."
Aside from its contribution to rehabilitation efforts in the Visayas, the project also serves as a sustainable development initiative that allows LRI and GBPC to responsibly dispose of and/or utilize fly ash for their advanced CFB boiler technology.
Lafarge Republic, Inc. is currently the only cement manufacturer in the country making blended cement in Bags using fly-ash, which is a key component of the Tibay Enhancers of the national Lafarge Republic brand. The use of high quality fly-ash increases the strength and durability of concrete, while also providing workability and a smoother finish. Utilizing fly-ash as an additive also reduces the proportion of clinker - a source of CO2 emissions during the production process - in the cement, allowing the product to have a lower carbon footprint.
Apart from the introduction of Kapit-Balay cement, Lafarge has also been contributing to the Yolanda rehabilitation efforts with its company donation of Php60 million and as part of the France-Philippines United Action (FPUA), a private sector initiative that will coordinate the French business community's relief efforts in Northern Cebu. The organization, as part of the FPUA program, has previously partnered with Habitat for Humanity in building 100 row houses in the province's Daanbantayan municipality.
Meanwhile, Global Business Power Corporation (GBPC)-a member of the Metrobank Group of Companies and one of the leading independent power generators in the Visayas region with power plants located in Cebu, Iloilo, Aklan and Oriental Mindoro-has also been active in contributing to recent post-disaster rehabilitation efforts. In light of the Bohol earthquake, the company has provided 1,500 relief bags to affected families in Cebu and another 1,500 relief bags in Bohol.
As part of GBPC's Yolanda efforts, on the other hand, the company worked with Meralco in providing technical assistance and trucking equipment to electric cooperatives in Panay and northern Cebu to repair and restore electricity lines that were severely damaged due to typhoon Yolanda. It also distributed 5,200 relief bags in Panay and northern Cebu to provide immediate aid to the affected families.
