The Philippines could see its first government facility to evaluate cement quality begin operations by the 3Q21. Once operational, the unit would allow producers to have their products tested by the government.
"Our procurement of equipment is now ongoing, so we can conduct testing by third quarter," said Neil P Catajay, director of the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS).
Currently, producers have to dispatch their product to private firms, who in turn send the results to the BPS for review.
"At present, we have two recognised third-party testing laboratories for cement. We also accept results from tests conducted abroad for as long as they are carried out by our recognized testing laboratories in foreign countries," said Mr Catajay.
