APO Cement has announced a P10-increase per bag in its cement products in Cebu and other areas in the Visayas region starting Monday, November 19.
APO Cement said in a statement at the weekend that its production costs have suddenly gone up, significantly impacting its operations. This is due to the fact that it now has to outsource raw materials from different areas in the country and abroad with the continued suspension of its main supplier of raw materials, APO Land & Quarry Corp. (ALQC).
APO Cement accounts for 20 percent of clinker production in the country and 60 percent of Cemex’s total volume in the country where at least 275,000 bags are produced per day.
ALQC’s operations remain suspended nearly two months after a landslide in the city of Naga, Cebu Apo Cement noted that expert geologists from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau have officially concluded this was a natural phenomenon.
Earlier, ALQC announced that it will no longer be able to support the 8,000 individuals in 11 evacuation centers in the city of Naga, Cebu, starting November 16 due to lack of resources. Around P60 million were contributed by ALQC to cover expenses for the food and water for evacuees over the last eight weeks, and the company said further support could not be provided for financial limitations.
As such, ALQC will coordinate the turnover of food provision for the evacuation centers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the city government of Naga. ALQC recently provided equipment and cooking tools sufficient to support three community kitchens in Naga.