DTI forfeits surety bond of violating cement importers

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has forfeited the surety bonds of some importers for violations of government rules, regulations, and standards that affect consumer safety.

Violations committed by importers are mostly on selling of cement without any Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) or Statement of Confirmation (SOC). The SOC is proof that the cement passed quality testing.  It is a DTI rule that cement retailers should possess the SOCs of the cement they are selling.

With the influx of cement entering 25 out ports of the country coming from Vietnam, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, and even from Pakistan, the DTI forfeited the surety bonds of some violating cement importers, as provided under Department Administrative Order (DAO) No 17-06, Series of 2017.

The DTI underscores that rules are formulated and enforced to ensure consumer welfare and protection. For cement, its quality should comply with standards set under Philippine National Standards (PNS) 07:2005 and PNS 63:2006 to ensure that structures built using cement will remain durable and not collapse, and prevent the loss of lives and danger to consumer safety.

The DTI advices cement buyers to ask for the SOC of retailers when purchasing said product to ensure that these are compliant with the rules and standards set by the Department. The SOC shows the brand, importer, manufacturer, date of manufacture, and batch number, among others, which are likewise imprinted on the cement bags that are being sold in the market.

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