AAA CEMEXME v 13 for press.pmd - Cemex Philippines

2 CEMEX+ME 1st Half of 2004 /MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Welcome to CEMEX+ME, 

CEMEX Philippines’ 

After Work Magazine! 

Pamela Pamela T TTanjuatco 

T anjuatco 

Editor-in-Chief 

For the maiden issue of CEMEX+ME, CEMEX Philippines* 

("CEMEX") wanted to share with you nothing but New… Because 

what is New is always welcome—it’s a breath of fresh air, the 

birth of hope, the beginning of a better future. Anything New is 

exciting. It’s interesting. It’s cool. And this is precisely how we 

envision this magazine to be: fresh, exciting…Always New! 

Here we’ve shared with you the birth 

of new products: CEMEX Marine, the best 

cement for foundations; and the very new 

CEMEX Palitada King, masonry cement 

that will surely make your mason feel like a 

king! We also recently launched new processes 

and services: CEMEXPRESS aims to 

make ordering and paying more convenient 

for our customers through CEMEXNet (an 

Internet-based service), CEMEXText (which 

uses the ever-present mobile phone), and the 

CEMEX Service Center (which allows customers 

to order thru the telephone). 

And there’s more! In every issue, we’ll 

be featuring our partners in the industry— 

valued customers and suppliers who will 

share with us new ideas that we can all learn 

from. We’ll also go “trendspotting” and see 

what’s new and what’s hot in related industries. 

We’ll feature architects, interior designers, 

and engineers who will give us their 

forecasts in design, architecture, and technology. 

For this issue, renowned architect and 

interior designer, Jonathan Matti, gave us his 

fearless forecast on design trends for late 

2004. All this and a lot more…! All for you… 

CEMEX and You…You and CEMEX. 

We fervently hope you’d enjoy reading 

this as much as we did creating it! 

*The CEMEX Philippines Group of Companies 

is composed of APO Cement Corporation, Solid Cement 

Corporation, and other Philippine companies affiliated or 

associated with CEMEX S.A. de C.V., one of the three 

largest cement companies in the world.

4 CEMEX+ME 1st Half of 2004 /MANILA, PHILIPPINES 

CEMEX+ME 

PUBLISHER PAUL VICTOR AQUINO 

Marketing Director 

CEMEX Philippines 

paulvictor.aquino@cemex.com.ph 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PAMELA TANJUATCO 

Channel Marketing Manager 


pamela.tanjuatco@cemex.com.ph 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR ANNA KATRINA ABAD 

Channel Marketing Officer 


annakatrina.abad@cemex.com.ph 

PROJECT MANAGER 

NINA RICA MARIE L. TEROL 

Managing Director 

Likha Communications Consulting 

likhacommunicationsconsulting@yahoo.com 

CONTRIBUTORS 

REMIGIO DE UNGRIA 

DIANA GOMEZ 

MAE YOUNG 

NINA RICA MARIE L. TEROL 

GAY ACE M. DOMINGO 

gmd012@hotmail.com 

DESIGNER BRIAN TENORIO 

www.tenorium.com 

PHOTO EDITOR ALFRED MENDOZA 

throughthelens@yahoo.com 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

ALFRED MENDOZA 

HENRY POSADAS 

ERICK LIRIOS 


24/F Petron Mega Plaza 

Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue 

Makati City 1200, Philippines 

(+63 2) 849 3600 

(+63 2) 849 3749 

pamela.tanjuatco@cemex.com.ph 

CEMEX + Me is circulated to customer- and 

supplier-partners and stakeholders of CEMEX 

Philippines. It is published periodically by CEMEX 

Philippines, located at 24/F Petron Mega Plaza, Sen. 

Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City 1200, Philippines. 

Copyright © 2004 by CEMEX Philippines. All rights 

reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced 

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or 

mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any 

information storage or retrieval system, without 

permission in writing from the publisher. 

CEMEX Philippines produces limited copies of 

CEMEX + ME. To order additional copies, please 

call Inna Abad at (02) 849-3748. Reprints cost 

Php90 each. 

18 

18 

Man Man of of the the House House 

House 

It’s easy to take 

our homes—and 

the hands that 

have built them— 

for granted. For 

the maiden issue 

of CEMEX + Me, 

we explored life 

outside the walls 

and zoomed in on 

someone who has 

dedicated his life 

to (literally) 

building a roof 

over people’s 

heads. 

Plus: Cement 

mixing and 

plastering tips 

from our master 

mason. 

30 30 

Tribal ribal art, 

art, 

cr crystals, cr ystals, 

chandeliers, 

chandeliers, 

and and still 

still 

prints prints as as the 

the 

new 

new 

accessories 

accessories 

for for for today’ today’s today’ 

homes 

homes

10 

10 

6 

CEMEX 

shares the 

spotlight 

with three 

individuals 

who are as 

passionate 

about their 

work as we 

are about 

cement. 

REGULARS 

REGULARS 

Table of Contents (JULY 2004) 

10 10 10 Partners’ Partners’ Profile 

Profile 

What do a marine geologist, a negotiator, and two 

Catholic “brothers” have in common? They’re all 

CEMEX’s industry partners, and we’re happy to share 

the spotlight with them on our first run. 

30 30 Passion Passion & & Style 

Style 

What’s in and what’s out? Architect and interior designer 

Jonathan G. Matti gives his forecast on what’s hot in 

interiors. Plus: Tips on cultivating personal style 

6 What’ What’s What’ s New New at at CEMEX CEMEX 

CEMEX 

You now have so many ways to get in touch with us for 

inquiries, product orders, grievances, suggestions, and 

what-not! Find out how you can make the most of 

technology in these pages. 

28 28 Ask Ask Ask CEMEX CEMEX 

CEMEX 

CEMEX answers your questions about cement and how 

to make the most of cement products. 

34 34 CEMEX CEMEX CEMEX News 

News 

36 36 Inside Inside CEMEX 

CEMEX 

30 

30 

A look at the people and events that have shaped 

CEMEX in the first half of 2004. 

Having been in the design industry for 

over a decade, Architect Jonathan G. 

Matti knows all about style. 

8 

Plus: 

Another 

innovation 

from the 

Philippines’ 

cement 

leader.


CEMEX Service Center – 

At Your Service 

When CEMEX customers dial the 

number 849-3501, a cheerful 

voice will greet them “Thank you 

for calling the CEMEX Service 

Center, This is (the name of the 

person answering), How can I 

help you?” 

The voice is one of the eight 

CEMEX Service Agents on duty. This 

is the CEMEX Service Center, a new 

feature that is part of CEMEX’s way 

of giving customers the best and 

most efficient service. 

The CEMEX Service Center 

was launched in January 2003 to 

fulfill four functions – order taking, 

inquiries handling, complaints 

handling, and product technical 

assistance. 

Its strength was boosted 

with the launch of CEMEXtext and 

CEMEXnet, both of which were 

implemented during the second half 

of 2003. 

Now customers have three 

channels to reach CEMEX, further 

strengthening their ties with the 

company. 

“How can I help you?” 

“The center receives around 

15,000 calls a month,” reveals Mike 

Teotico, CEMEX Service Center 

Manager. “More than half (52%) of 

sales are done through mobile selling 

and over one-third (35%) of sales are 

coursed through the voice channel or 

What’s 

the agents,” he elaborates. 

The voice channel is 

available from 7 am to 7 pm on 

weekdays, from 8 am to 5 pm on 

Saturdays, and from 9 am to 12 

noon on Sundays. Says Mike, “This 

replaces the old process where the 

customer would order through the 

sales manager. Now the sales 

manager can concentrate on 

business development so the sales 

process becomes more efficient. 

There is more productivity for both 

the sales manager and the clients.” 

Challenges 

Though it has been operating 

for quite some time now, CEMEX 

Customer Relations Management 

Director Roland Vera Cruz admits 

that the center, as well as the two 

other channels (mobile and 

Ronald Vera Cruz: We manage 

order-taking. If we do a bad 

job, then we get criticized. 

It’s a challenge. 

“Now the sales 

manager can 

concentrate on 

business development 

so the sales process 

becomes more 

efficient. There is more 

productivity for both 

the sales manager and 

the clients.” 

-Mike Teotico 

CEMEX Service Center Manager

New at CEMEX 

Internet), has a lot to improve on. 

“There’s work to be done so we can 

live up to being the one-stop shop 

contact between the company and 

the clients. We have not maximized 

the full potential of the tools yet,” 

says Roland. 

Mike concurs, “We’re not yet 

in the ideal state that we want to be.” 

Roland and his team still 

welcome comments – negative and 

otherwise – because these will 

guide them. “I worry if we don’t 

receive complaints from the internal 

and external clients. If that happens, 

it means they don’t care anymore,” 

says Roland. 

Better service 

“We have some new things 

coming up,” Mike reveals. For 

instance, the CEMEX Service 

Center will soon have a recorder so 

the quality of the calls can be 

monitored. Roland adds that a 

survey will also be done soon to 

get feedback on the performance of 

all their channels (voice, Internet, and 

mobile). “We haven’t been really able 

to measure the impact of these tools,” 

says Roland. 

Roland and Mike assure 

their customers that the CEMEX 

Service Center is doing its best to 

assist them with their needs. They’re 

very excited about some 

improvements that they will 

implement for their clients… so watch 

for the new and improved CEMEX 

Service Center – coming soon! 

CEMEX Customer 

Service Agents: Giving you 

quality service 

Jean Reyes, 33 years old 

Jean reveals that she handles an 

average of 40 calls per day. “Most of the 

calls are orders, others are inquiries and 

follow-ups,” she reveals. Complaints? She 

says that she gets only very, very few. But 

when she does receive that kind of call, 

she sees handling customers’ concerns 

as one of the most fulfilling parts of her 

job. “We take note of their concerns and 

then we get back to the clients and give 

them the good news,” this mother of two 

declares. 

Terry Miravalles, 29 years old 

Terry was a commercial assistant 

for South Luzon before she became 

a service agent. In fact, some of the calls 

she gets are from customers whom she 

met while she held her previous position. 

She says that to be a good 

service center agent, one only needs the 

patience to listen. “Unang-unang intindihin ’yung 

pangangailangan ng client. Dapat mahaba ang pasensiya. Kung 

meron siyang reklamo, pakikinggan mo lang siya…” (You have 

to put the needs of the clients first. Patience is important. If 

the client has a complaint, just listen…) Terry believes that 

each day on the job at the CEMEX Service Center is definitely 

exciting. “Maraming challenge dito (There are plenty of 

challenges here),” she smiles. 

Photos on this page by Alfred Mendoza


CEMEX CEMEX makes makes masonr masonry masonr y easier 

easier 

and and more more efficient efficient with 

with 

CEMEX CEMEX Palitada Palitada King 

King 

Plastering can 

be a tedious task— 

one that requires a lot 

of patience and 

attention to detail. 

Some cement mixtures 

may have a weak 

adhesion to the wall, 

produce cracks, or be 

difficult to apply. Masons would 

sometimes need to spend 

more time applying the 

cement, or they may even 

need to redo entire portions of 

a wall just to make it look neat 

and properly finished. A lot of 

money and time is wasted. 

The main reason for this 

is the general practice of using 

Ordinary Portland Cement for 

plastering walls. Since Portland 

cement is an “all-purpose” 

cement and is the only kind 

available, it’s been used for 

everything from beams and 

columns, to foundations, 

pavements, and plastering. 

What many people take for 

granted is that each of these 

applications has a different 

purpose, and therefore 

requires certain cement 

properties that may not be 

needed in other applications. 

To offer the market 

better and more appropriate 

cement choices for their 

construction needs, CEMEX 

has 

developed two 

specialized 

cement products: 

CEMEX Marine, 

for foundations and 

marine applications, 

and its newest 

brand, CEMEX 

Palitada King, 

masonry cement 

for plastering, 

hollow block filling, 

and brick layering. 

Made specifically for masonry 

CEMEX Palitada King 

is masonry cement. It has four 

qualities that make it the top 

preference, the KING for 

plastering: It bonds faster and 

stronger to walls than Ordinary 

Portland Cement. It 

does not crack easily, and is 

easy to apply because it has 

special ingredients that make 

it more workable and waterretentive, 

helping masons in 

the shaping and finishing 

process. Moreover, CEMEX 

Palitada King is priced 

better than Ordinary Portland 

Cement, allowing builders to 

save as much as 20 percent 

on labor and materials costs. 

Now, you have a choice 

Now that you are no 

longer bound to all-purpose 

Portland cement, use the 

right CEMEX products for 

your construction needs. For 

more information on CEMEX 

Marine, CEMEX Palitada 

King, and other CEMEX 

brands, call the CEMEX 

Service Center at 849-3501.

Customers now have more ways to connect to 

CEMEX through CEMEXnet and CEMEXtext 

Realizing that its customers 

are a mobile lot who need 

access to sales support and 

customer care services 

wherever they are, CEMEX 

Philippines recently introduced 

two more service 

channels for the tech-savvy 

Filipino: CEMEXtext CEMEXtext and 

CEMEXnet CEMEXnet. CEMEXnet 

Through CEMEXtext 

and CEMEXnet, CEMEX 

customers can now order and 

inquire about their accounts 

through their mobile phones or 

the World Wide Web. All they’ll 

have to do is send an order 

message to 0917-83CEMEX 

(0917-8323639) or log on to 

www.cemexphilippines.com. 

With this service, customers 

don’t need to wait until they can 

call the CEMEX Service Center 

through a landline, or see their 

ASMs, before making an order. 

They can perform transactions 

even on the go. 

Aside from ordering, 

customers can also do the 

following through CEMEXnet: 

• Review their account 

balances 

• View and print open 

transactions that they 

have made within 90 days 

• View sales orders that 

they have submitted or 

posted via CEMEXnet 

• View pending orders 

• View orders that have 

already been dispatched 

• View dispatched orders 

that are already loadconfirmed 

• View orders that are 

already in transit 

• View cancelled orders 

• Inquire about branch 

levels and sites (points of 

delivery)—information 

which customers will 

need when making an 

online order 

• Log in complaints and 

requests for technical 

assistance 

Most of these transactions 

are also enabled for 

CEMEXtext. For details about 

these new support services, 

contact your ASM today or call 

the CEMEX Service Center at 

849-3501.


Partner’s Profiles 

Eduardo Nuevo 

Tensile Builders 

Isidro Consunji 

DM Consunji Inc.

Text by Niña Terol and Gay Domingo 

Photos by Alfred Mendoza, Erick Lirios, Henry Posadas 

CEMEX 

shares the 

spotlight with 

three 

individuals 

who are as 

passionate 

about their 

work as we 

are about 

cement. Ruben dela Cruz 

Smarcht


Out of the High Seas: 

Eduardo Nuevo of Tensile Builders 

It was love that brought Eduardo Nuevo out of 

the high seas and closer to the ground. 

He was a Geology graduate of the 

University of the Philippines in 

Diliman, when he received a scholarship 

for graduate studies in Marine 

Geology at the University of California 

in San Diego. Passionate about his 

field, Eduardo packed his bags and 

headed to California—after all, it 

wasn’t everyday that one got a scholarship 

from the United Nations Development 

Programme (UNDP)! 

Excited about his studies, which 

Eduardo said wasn’t really that difficult 

“if you’re really interested in the field”, 

the young Nuevo obtained his Master 

of Science faster than his classmates. 

His daily routine, he said, consisted of 

eating breakfast “patago” (discreetly) in 

the bus on the way to school, attending 

his classes, going home to study, and 

then doing his chores in between all 

the schoolwork. It was a lonely life for 

the young student, which was why he 

frequently thought about going back 

home. “Nalungkot ako `don (I felt 

homesick there),” he recalls now. 

He could have pursued a doctorate 

degree after completing his masters, 

but Eduardo wanted to go home and 

marry his sweetheart. Upon his return 

home, however, Eduardo realized that 

there wasn’t any space in the Philippines 

for a marine geologist of his 

caliber and background. “Kitang-kita na 

hindi prepared dito para gamitin ang mga 

taong katulad ko (It was very evident 

that the Philippines isn’t ready to take 

advantage of the expertise of people 

like myself),” he laments. “I felt the 

lack of equipment… There were 

management directives and decisions 

that were contrary to what I had 

learned…You (were) always defending, 

always justifying, the expenses… and 

the equipment in the States is so 

different from the equipment here.” 

Sailing for new shores 

The frustrated young man was 

lucky that his wife came from an 

entrepreneurial Chinese family who 

taught him the ins and outs of running 

a retail business. To get their feet wet 

in selling, the Nuevos first helped out 

in the family business of importing 

bicycles and distributing them all over 

the Philippines. “At first, it was 

simple… You bought… You sold… 

There wasn’t much of a challenge,” he 

claimed. After that experience, he went 

into wholesaling and operating a talyer 

(car repair shop) before finally settling 

down with his present profession: selling 

hardware and construction supplies. 

The Nuevos had a small space in 

Bicutan, Parañaque that they were 

renting out to an owner of a hardware 

store. When the owner moved on, the 

couple decided to test the waters of 

hardware selling and continue serving 

the store’s customers by putting up a 

store in that same space. A year later, 

the couple realized that they could, 

indeed, manage hardware retail 

operations, and opened Tensile 

Builders in its present location along 

Doña Soledad Avenue, Better Living 

Subdivision, Bicutan, Parañaque. 

Riding the waves 

Running a hardware store wasn’t 

that difficult, but Eduardo realized 

that it wasn’t as easy to operate as an 

ordinary retail outfit. “There’s a 

rhythm to the business…”, he 

expounds. “Pero may isang segment ng 

customer na hindi ko na-experience sa 

bicycle shop (but there was a customer 

segment that I had not experienced 

in selling bicycles): `yung contractors.” 

Contractors, Eduardo explained, 

were much different from retail 

customers because retail customers 

paid in cash for what they bought— 

kaliwaan, as what most people would 

say. Because contractors are busy 

managing large construction projects, 

and often ordered supplies and 

construction materials before being 

paid by their clients, “hahabulin mo pa 

(sila)… `Pag hindi (sila) naka-collect, hindi 

sila magbabayad sa `yo… Minsan, 

nabayaran na sila, pero babayaran pa nila 

yung ibang utang nila (You’d have to run 

after them… If they aren’t able to 

collect from their clients, then they 

can’t pay you… Sometimes, even if 

they’ve already been paid by their 

clients, they still won’t pay you because 

they’ll pay for their other debts first).” 

The business environment, too, is 

very unsteady, he says. From 1997 to 

1998, when the country was in the 

midst of the Asian economic crisis, 

business was very “pale”. Prices of 

many basic commodities soared 

because of the devaluing peso, and 

people held on to whatever money 

they had. Then, in 2001, business 

picked up because of the local elections. 

“Maraming nagpapagawa kapag 

eleksiyon (A lot of construction 

happens during election season),” 

Eduardo says with a smile. 

Steering Steering Steering his his ship 

ship 

In spite of all these challenges, he 

enjoys his new career and steers his 

team through changing tides. His 

business philosophy is simple, he 

claims: know what your customers 

need, and always give them the best

value for their money. 

“When customers come here,” 

Eduardo begins to explain in Filipino, 

“they have a list of materials that they 

need to buy. My people are trained to 

look at the list and know what is being 

done—is the customer renovating a 

house? Having a new one built? 

Malalaman mo naman, e (You’ll know right 

away).” After the sales clerk identifies the 

purpose of the materials being bought, 

she probes deeper and tries to find out 

why exactly customers are asking for 

particular materials or brands. 

“Sometimes, customers order a 

particular product just because it’s 

what the architect or engineer 

specified, or because it’s branded. My 

people are trained to recommend the 

right products, even if they’re not 

popular, and to highlight the advantages 

of the right products.” 

Winning customers’ hearts 

and minds 

“Minsan, may ibang customers diyan 

na matigas talaga ang ulo (Sometimes, 

there are customers who can be really 

stubborn)—they will buy something 

because it’s what’s on the list, regardless 

of the price or the benefit of 

another brand,” Nuevo continues. “In 

those cases, we will just have to be 

patient with them, to keep on explaining—like 

those promo girls you see in 

the supermarkets that demonstrate a 

product even if there’s no one in front 

of them... There will come a time 

when the customers will have no 

choice but to listen to you, and to 

accept what you are saying.” 

In selling CEMEX products, 

specifically CEMEX Marine, Eduardo 

says that he finds a feature that he 

thinks the market will appreciate and 

latch on to, and highlights that when 

talking to customers. Marine, he says, is 

good not only for large structures— 

such as piers and ports—or for 

buildings near large bodies of water— 

where Marine Attack is prevalent— 

but even for residential structures in the 

city. According to this former scientist, 

Marine has features that will make it last 

years longer than ordinary cement. 

Because of his ability to see 

beyond product descriptions and 

shopping lists, Eduardo Nuevo has 

won over a steady base of customers 

who are loyal to Tensile Builders. 

“Marine, for example, is selling well. I have 

a lot of repeat sales already… among 

homeowners who are either building homes 

for the first time, or those who are 

renovating their houses.” 

“We want our customers to know 

that we care,” Nuevo adds 

empathically. “We always try to educate 

them to buy the right products at the 

proper time, and in the right quantity. 

So that the next time you build, or the 

next time your friends build, ako `yung 

maaalala mo (I’m the one you’ll remember).” 

Buying, he says, is partly a 

function of the emotions—customers 

go where they feel comfortable. 

In summarizing his business 

philosophy, Eduardo concludes the 

interview with a knowing smile, “As 

long as naibibigay mo ‘yung katapat ng pera 

ng customer mo, sa ‘yo na ‘yung customer 

na ‘yon (As long as you’re able to give 

your customer value for his money, 

that customer’s already yours). For life 

sometimes”


Isidro “Sid” Consunji, The Negotiator 

The Negotiator 

Isidro "Sid" Consunji 55, former president of 

the Philippine Constructors Association 

(PCA), likes to describe his work at DM 

Consunji Incorporated (DMCI) as efforts 

towards strengthening the company. "I take 

care of the… shaping, the strategies, the 

alliances," he says. 

Work is always enjoyable for 

the UP Civil Engineering and 

AIM-trained magnate. "I don't 

like to do things if they're not 

friendly and if they're not fun," 

says Sid. 

Engineer Sid 

Sid is the eldest son among 

eight children of construction 

magnate DM Consunji, a civil 

engineer. “I am second to the 

eldest who is a girl. After me, 

there are three girls and four 

boys,” says Sid. 

As a child, he already 

seemed to show interest towards 

the construction business. “I 

played with dump trucks when I 

was a little boy,” he recalls. 

In high school, a 

guidance test taken by Sid 

revealed that he was more 

inclined towards a career in 

medicine, law, or engineering. Sid 

chose engineering. “Medicine and 

law, sukat na ’yon. (Medicine and 

law are exact disciplines.) Engineering 

is more creative,” explains 

Sid. 

However, for the young 

Sid, there was a bigger reason. 

“Just to prove to my Dad that I 

can handle engineering, I went to 

engineering.” 

He enjoyed his college 

studies at the University of the 

Philippines in Diliman. “I liked 

engineering,” says Sid. “Pero may 

point na napupuno ako. (But there 

came a point where I had 

enough.) Like, ‘I’ve learned so 

much about that certain beam. 

But who cares if I know so much 

about that beam?’ Walang meaning 

eh. (There is no meaning.). 

He felt a need to study 

further so he took his masters in 

business at the Asian Institute of 

Management (AIM). He is proud 

to say that he paid for his MBA 

on his own by working. “I didn’t 

want my parents to pay for my 

education. Minsan, nag-aabsent ako 

sa school because I needed to find 

money for my tuition. (Sometimes 

I would miss school because 

I needed to find money for my 

tuition.)” 

Motorpool Supervisor 

Sid started as an employee at 

DMCI. One of the first jobs that 

he held was Motorpool Supervisor. 

He remembers a time when 

he ran into problems paying the 

motorpool staff, and the worst 

that could have happened was for 

the workers to go on a strike. 

What did Sid do? He “socialized” 

to reach an amicable solution to 

what could potentially be a 

volatile situation. Sid recalls, 

“Nakipag-inuman ako sa fuel 

manager. Sabi ko, ‘Puwede ko ba 

kayong bayaran ng kalahati muna?’ 

Pumayag naman.” (I invited the 

fuel manager to have a drink. I 

asked, ‘Can I pay you and the 

staff in half first?’They agreed.)” 

It was one of Sid’s first 

tries at negotiation and diplomacy 

and it prepared him to face other 

tough personalities like those 

from the banks, the government, 

suppliers, etc. Through the 

dealings and interactions, Sid 

learned one thing: “Our society is 

a society of pakikisama (compromise/adjustment).” 

Good Relationship with 

CEMEX 

Sid notes that contractors 

have had a good relationship with 

CEMEX because of the 

company’s efforts to protect the 

interests of their customers. 

“There are a lot of risks in 

construction,” says Sid. “There 

are weather risks, environmental 

risks, political risks…We are 

subject to the volatility of prices.”

Sid notes that 

contractors 

have had a good 

relationship 

with CEMEX 

because of the 

company’s 

efforts to 

protect the 

interests of 

their 

customers. 

He goes on to say that CEMEX 

understands the risks that 

contractors take in managing 

projects, and thus gives them 

offers that respond to each 

contractor’s and project’s unique 

needs. “We (at DMCI) have a 

good relationship with them, 

business-wise and personal,” he 

volunteers. 

DMCI has investments in 

construction, real estate, and 

coal. In 1997, DMCI bought 

into Semirara, a coal mining 

company. “In construction, the 

business opportunities are very 

cyclical. We wanted to go into a 

business na medyo (slightly) 

recurring,” Sid says of DMCI’s 

decision to buy Semirara. 

Getting into the coal 

industry was a risky move, and it 

took some patience and luck to 

finally hit it big. Today, DMCI’s 

Semirara enjoys a big share in 

“Land is not the basis of 

wealth today. Wealth lies in 

organization and management. 

the local coal market. “We plan 

to produce 2-3 million tons of 

coal this year and 4 million tons 

of coal next year.” 

Life and Leisure 

After the wheeling and 

dealing that he does in the 

dynamic world of construction, 

Sid unwinds by playing golf, 

traveling and indulging in his 

interest in photography. But 

unlike his son Victor who is a 

professional photographer, Sid 

insists, “I am an amateur. I’ve 

been taking pictures since I was 

a teenager.” 

He has two daughters, a 21year 

old who is pursuing a 

Communication course in 

Berkeley, and another daughter 

who is 12 years old. 

When it comes to leisure 

and relaxation, Sid takes a very 

laidback attitude. He doesn’t 

plan his activities for the 

weekend. “Saturday, Sunday, 

bahala na (whatever comes)…” 

Hunting and Agriculture 

Sid reveals that DMCI’s 

direction these days is to initiate 

their own projects instead of 

relying on contracts. For 

instance, they’re focusing their 

efforts in building more homes 

for Filipinos. “We’re a real estate 

developer instead of a general 

contractor. We concentrate 

outside Metro Manila. We cater 

to the middle market. The prices 

of our homes are from P`1-3 

million.” 

He believes that with the 

current economic challenges in 

the country, a businessperson 

cannot afford to simply wait for 

things to happen. Sid says that 

today’s businessman should be 

more of a farmer rather than a 

hunter. “It’s the difference 

between hunting and agriculture,” 

says Sid. “Hunting is 

seasonal while in agriculture, you 

plan your growth. It’s essentially 

that. If you are the project 

proponent, you are in control 

of your financial destiny.” 

Sid also strongly believes 

that businesspersons, and 

everybody for that matter, 

should realize that the factors to 

success no longer depend on 

tangible things like land, for 

instance. “Land is not the basis 

of wealth today. Wealth lies in 

organization and management. 

Wealth is the product of the 

mind, the product of the 

competencies that you can put 

together. You have to understand 

that the customer is king.” 

Sid, the civil engineer, now 

sees himself more as a social 

engineer who is building roads 

and bridges towards economic 

growth. Sid Consunji declares, 

“We need to ask ourselves, 

‘What can I add to society that’s 

not yet there?’ In the Philippines, 

we are creating systems.”


Like buildings and large structures, a 

good business requires a solid foundation 

to perform well and meet the 

expectations of its clients and 

partners. For Ruben (Beng) dela Cruz 

and Nelson Carandang of St. Michael 

Archangel Trucking and Trading 

(Smarcht), their mutual fear of God 

and love for man laid the foundation 

for a partnership that will surely pass 

the test of time. 

Laying Laying the the Foundation 

Foundation 

Beng and Nelson met almost 10 

years ago, through a Catholic community 

called Familia. At that time, Beng 

was a sales executive in a large multinational 

firm and Nelson, already into 

some family enterprises. When Beng 

retired from the multinational firm, he 

hatched the idea for Smarcht, which he 

then discussed with Nelson, his friend 

and “brother”. 

Smarcht started operations in 2001 

with three 10-wheeler trucks and two 

forwards (six-wheeler trucks). It was 

already handling trucking operations for 

several companies when they got their 

A Partnership as Solid as Cement: 

Ruben dela Cruz 

and Nelson Carandang 

of St. Michael Archangel Trucking & Trading 

first big break from CEMEX in August 

last year. According to Nelson, the 

negotiation process began in January 

and took all of eight months. 

According to Nelson, CEMEX had 

high standards and requirements for 

their time-chartered trucking partners— 

just as in the other areas of the company’s 

operations. It had 24-hour operations, to 

anywhere in the country, so it required 

Smarcht to deploy 10 dedicated trucks, 

three reliever trucks, and 62 personnel just 

for the company. Smarcht also had to 

make sure that the trucks they used for 

CEMEX were painted white and in 

excellent running condition, and that 

drivers and helpers were always physically 

fit and wearing their uniforms. 

Adhering to these standards and 

requirements was not just a matter of 

compliance for Nelson and Beng. It 

was, to them, also a way to demonstrate 

their professionalism in their business, 

to properly care for their employees, 

and to properly promote CEMEX’s 

image as their partner in the industry. 

“Because we are time-chartered 

trucks, our units are really the first line 

of marketing of the company 

(CEMEX),” Nelson shares in Filipino. 

“So, we said that, whenever we deploy a 

unit, we carry with us the image of 

CEMEX… We shouldn’t drag their 

image down.” Beng, who’s in charge of 

Smarcht’s operations and visits the 

CEMEX plant in Antipolo twice a 

week, pipes in: “The trucks that we 

deploy… have to look first-class … 

CEMEX shouldn’t be ashamed to tell 

people that those are their trucks.” 

Their drivers, helpers, and office 

staff have also been acculturated to the 

CEMEX style of doing business—that 

is, being professional in their work, and 

seeing to the details that make their 

work stand out from the rest. 

“The eight months of preparation 

for compliance with CEMEX’s requirement 

really gave us the proper time to 

sit down with our people and discuss 

the culture that CEMEX wants us to 

imbibe,” Nelson, who handles Smarcht’s 

administration in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, 

explains. “We had to acculturate them to 

a certain level of work attitude… For 

us, the bottomline was to give the driver 

and helper a sense of dignity… We 

made it a point that they were properly 

compensated so that they were properly 

taken care of and won’t be tempted to 

engage in kalokohan (foolishness).” 

To stress his point, he adds: “If 

ganito `yung standard mo, pero (wala namang 

laman) ang sikmura ng tao mo, paano mo 

mapapasunod `yan? Kung hindi motivated 

ang tao mo, paano mo mai-insist `yung gusto 

mo? (If you have set a particular 

standard, but your people have empty 

stomachs, how do you expect them to 

comply with what you want? If your 

people aren’t motivated, then how can 

you insist on what you want?)” 

Uplifting Workers’ Lives 

Nelson and Beng spent a large part 

of the interview talking about their 

people, and about how they were using 

their business to uplift the lives of 

Smarcht’s employees and their families. 

They also compared themselves to “traditional” 

truckers who only saw the profit side 

of their business, but who neglected the 

needs of the men who spent long, hot days 

in the trucks and on the road. 

For Nelson and Beng, serving 

CEMEX and their other customers well 

meant taking good care of their people 

first. Aside from providing them with 

above-par compensation, health and 

medical benefits, and decent uniforms, 

the “brothers” have also put up a small

arracks for their men near the CEMEX 

plant in Antipolo, where their trucking 

operations are currently concentrated. 

They were particularly proud of this, as 

they have provided their men with a 

comfortable resting place that also keeps 

them safe—and that was equipped with a 

TV and DVD player, no less! 

Nelson added that Smarcht was the 

first trucker whom CEMEX has dealt 

with to deploy all air-conditioned trucks. 

When asked why they decided to use 

such in spite of the additional equipment 

and fuel cost, he explains in Filipino: 

“When you load cement from the plant, 

the surroundings are warm and dusty. 

CEMEX requires us to have 24-hour 

operations, so our people must also be in 

top form. They have to be physically fit. 

So we sacrifice fuel just so our people 

would be comfortable… How can you 

rest when it’s hot outside?” 

Their personnel management style 

also calls for involving their employees’ 

families in decision- and policy-making 

because, as both Nelson and Beng say, 

they have “a moral obligation” towards 

employees and their kin. 

“What’s the use of earning if your 

family will disintegrate because of what 

you’re earning from my business?” Nelson 

explains. “What we ask our employees to do 

is simple: do not steal, do not womanize, do 

not drink on the job, do not gamble. Even if 

you had a chance to earn well, but your 

family is breaking up… that’s not okay with 

us. Your work becomes a means for you to 

engage in vices.” 

Standing tall 

It is clear to both men that their 

involvement in their work extends beyond 

office hours. In fact, Nelson stresses that 

Smarcht is more than a business to him—it 

is a calling, something that he enjoys doing 

and is therefore already a part of his lifestyle. 

“It’s not just trucking per se that has become 

our calling… we want to build a community 

even among employees… We get to know 

our drivers, our loaders, their families… It’s a 

must for us.” Beng adds: “It’s a source of 

moral upliftment for our employees.” 

When asked what has contributed 

to this business philosophy and management 

ethic, Beng and Nelson agree that 

it is their fear of God that grounds all 

their decisions and actions. It is with 

this, and because of their mutual respect 

for and understanding of each other, 

that they have overcome the traditional 

obstacles and conflicts that one faces in 

a growing business such as theirs. 

Smarcht still has many more years 

ahead of itself, but it’s clear that the 

company was built with a steady hand 

and a clear vision of the future. When 

asked what their plans for the next few 

years are, Nelson answers with a smile, 

“For CEMEX, as long as buhay ang planta 

ninyo, gusto naming mag-serbisyo (As long as 

your plant is running, we want to serve 

you).” That’s clearly a partnership as 

solid as cement.


MAN of 

It’s so easy to take the 

homes that we live in, or 

the buildings that we work 

in, for granted. Even in our 

industry, where we are 

surrounded by all the 

knowledge, skills, and expertise 

in building homes 

and large structures, it’s 

easy to get lost in all the 

jargon and forget that, 

more than machines, it’s 

human hands that work 

tirelessly to create our industrial 

masterpieces. 

CEMEX wanted to look 

beyond the hard, concrete structures 

that define our livelihood, 

and explore the people and 

processes that others often take 

for granted in construction. In 

this issue of CEMEX + ME, 

we share the spotlight with the 

good ol’ mason—the man whose 

hands shape our homes. 

the HOUSE 

Text by Niña Terol and Gay Domingo 

Photos by Alfred Mendoza 

and Henry Posadas 

Shot on location at 

Dreamland Heights 

San Pedro, Laguna, 

a Habitat for Humanity 

housing project

Out Out of of his his Habitat 

Habitat 

One look at Rogelio 

(Rolly) Boje tells you that this 

man has spent a lot of time 

under the sun. His skin is no 

longer bronze, but a deep 

chocolate brown, and his 43year-old 

face has been made 

to look more mature by the 

deep wrinkles that rest near 

his eyes and mouth. His lean 

frame looks like it has been 

hardened by heat and dust, 

but his eyes reveal a certain 

softness and wisdom. 

This native of General 

Santos (“Gen San”) City in 

South Cotabato, Mindanao 

got a lot of sun exposure as a 

“cowboy”—a helper in a 

construction site, and not a 

horseback rider who steers 

horses in a ranch. As he 

would later on discover, there 

was a rhythm to the industry 

and there would be weeks 

when projects were hard to 

come by. On these occasions, 

Mang Rolly would sell fish or 

balut, and his wife Vising 

would operate a small sarisari 

store near their home. 

April was usually the slowest 

month for construction in 

Gen San, he says, because the 

weather would simply be too 

hot for anyone to be 

outdoors for long periods of 

time. 

It wouldn’t be long 

before Mang Rolly got his 

big break. In 1989, he met a 

man named Bob Williams, 

who was an international 

partner of a non-profit 

organization called Habitat 

for Humanity (Habitat). As it 

turned out, Habitat was 

helping poor families get 

decent, affordable homes of 

their own, and Bob was in 

the Philippines to announce 

the opening of Habitat 

project sites in the country. 

When Mang Rolly met Bob, 

the latter invited him to be 

part of the Habitat community 

by being both a 

homepartner and construction 

worker there. 

It wasn’t easy getting a 

slot to be one of Habitat for 

Humanity’s beneficiary 

families, Mang Rolly shared 

with us. Because the 

organization’s mission was to 

provide decent housing for 

the “lowest 30 percent of 

society”, each applicant had 

to undergo stringent credit 

checks before finally being 

approved. “Bago ka maging 

miyembro, dadaan ka muna ng 

A break from the hot sun. Mang Rolly strikes a 

pose with his wife Vising, eldest son Rodel, and 

daughters Rovelyn and Rowena. 

katakut-takot na screening… 

Nung nakita nila na ako’y 

walang-wala talaga, nakita nila 

na qualified ako maging Habitat 

homepartner. (Before you 

become a member, you will 

have to go through a lot of 

screening… When they saw 

that I really had nothing, 

then they saw that I was 

qualified to be a Habitat 

homepartner.) Mang Rolly’s 

unit was completed in 

September of that same year, 

and he has since joined 

Habitat’s team of home 

builders. 

Master Master Mason 

Mason 

Masonry isn’t an easy 

field to practice, as we soon 

discovered, but it took Mang 

Rolly just a few months to 

“graduate” from being 

“cowboy” to mason to 

foreman—his current 

position in Habitat’s construction 

projects. “Mahirap 

maging isang mason,” he shares. 

“Lahat ng trabaho na makikita 

niyo dito sa isang bahay… `yung 

pag-asintado ng hollow 

blocks… plastering… 

concrete pouring… mason 

lahat ang gumagawa niyan (It’s 

hard to be a mason… All the 

work that goes into building 

a house… from filling hollow 

blocks… plastering… 

concrete pouring… it’s the 

mason who does all that).” 

Each house—particularly 

in Habitat project 

sites—Mang Rolly explains, 

requires four masons and 

one helper. Masons do 

everything from concrete 

pouring to plastering, and 

sometimes even carpentry 

and welding; while helpers 

assist in mixing cement, 

transporting supplies and 

construction materials, and 

performing other simple 

tasks. Everyone involved in 

Habitat projects, Mang Rolly 

says, should be a multi-tasker. 

“Walang pinipiling trabaho 

dito… all-around ang ginagawa 

namin dito sa Habitat (We do 

everything here… everyone 

works all-around here at 

Habitat),” he explains. 

So what exactly does it 

take to be a good mason? We 

expected a long answer that 

described all the skills and 

qualities that were required 

of masons, but Mang Rolly 

gave us a surprisingly simple 

answer: “Mabait… at saka 

mapagkakatiwalaan (Kind… 

and trustworthy).” 

According to him, it is 

relatively easy to train 

someone in masonry, as long 

as he is a team player and 

willing to learn. But he also 

has to be trustworthy 

because the foreman can’t 

always be around to supervise 

each mason’s work and 

to check how masons handle 

the materials that are being 

assigned to them. But, of 

course, there are skills that 

masons must learn in order 

to be good in their craft: 

filling (the process of 

layering hollow blocks to 

form a wall according to the 

dimensions specified in the 

floor plan), finishing (or 

plastering), and roping. The 

last one, Mang Rolly says, is 

not required of other 

masons in other construction 

sites, as it involves primarily 

carpentry and welding; but in 

Habitat, where anything goes, 

masons do roping as well. 

It takes roughly two 

months for a helper to be 

trained in masonry work, and 

Mang Rolly uses a hands-on 

approach in training his men. 

“Dumaan… ako diyan,” he 

recounts. “Mula sa (pagiging 

helper), na-train ako na maging 

isang mason… hanggang (naging) 

foreman na ngayon… Kung ano 

‘yung nadaanan ko (bilang isang 

mason), ‘yon din ang tinuturo ko 

sa mga tao ngayon (I went 

through everything in 

masonry… From being a 

helper, I was trained to be a 

mason… and now I’m a 

foreman… So whatever I’ve 

gone through as a mason, I 

pass on to the people now.).” 

His current method is to 

assign each helper in the 

Habitat unit to one mason.


He then asks the helpers to 

mix the cement such that it 

will dry easily if not plastered 

quickly enough. But, 

since there would be too 

much cement to use up and 

too much wall space for just 

one mason to plaster, 

helpers are required to 

follow the mason’s example 

and plaster another portion 

of the wall, with the 

foreman (Mang Rolly 

“Lahat ng trabaho [sa site] ay nakasalalay sa 

balikat ng isang foreman… Kung ano man 

ang mangyari sa trabaho, ang foreman ang 

lalapitan ng project engineer, `yan ang 

sisisihin. 

himself) standing watch to 

supervise and correct what 

is being done. 

After watching Mang 

Rolly at work with his men, it 

became easy to see how he 

quickly climbed the construction 

ladder. Instead of 

being an imposing figure on 

the site, like a general who 

would metaphorically whip 

his men into shape, Mang 

Rolly was a patient teacher 

and guide, someone who 

understood his men’s 

concerns and adjusted to 

their learning pace. 

“Madali raw akong magdala 

ng tao kaysa ibang foreman,” 

Mang Rolly shares the opinion 

that others have expressed of 

him. “Hindi ako masyadong strict 

(at) magaling akong magturo ng 

tao… Hindi ko kasi sinisigawsigawan 

ang tao ‘pag hindi 

marunong (People say that I lead 

Building Building homes homes for 

for 

Mang Rolly’s job isn’t just 

about building homes to 

earn a decent income and 

feed his family of eight— 

he also does it to help 

others like himself restore 

their dignity by getting 

decent, affordable homes 

of their own. 

Like Mang Rolly, Glenda 

Velez and Abner Galora were 

practically homeless—they had 

built makeshift homes near the 

train tracks in Cupang and Tramo, 

but a series of fires in 1997 and 

1998 razed their “houses” to the 

ground. They were literally living 

on the edge—being “along da 

people better than other 

foremen… I’m not too strict 

and I teach people well… I 

don’t shout at people when 

they don’t know what to do).” 

Other foremen, he shares, are 

sometimes antagonized by 

their men because of their work 

attitude and manner of relating 

with their people. But he believes 

in being patient with his workers, 

especially if they are going 

through personal problems that 

may affect their work behavior. 

He went on to explain 

some of his other responsibilities 

as a construction 

foreman—such as taking a 

regular inventory of all 

materials and supplies on the 

site, supervising the work of 

the construction team, and 

handling the workers’ 

payroll—and we teased him 

about being “the boss”. The 

modest bisaya smiled and 

riles”, as a popular TV show once 

put it—so the Muntinlupa Development 

Foundation (MDF) decided 

that they, along with 425 

families who lived by the railroad, 

should be relocated to a safer 

place. They chose a site in United 

Bayanihan Village, in San Pedro, 

Laguna, as the relocation site. 

With funding from the 

Japan for Poverty Reduction 

Fund, and through the partnership 

of the Asian Development 

Bank (ADB), the MDF, and 

Habitat, construction for the 427 

families of the Cupang-Tramo 

Neighborhood Association and 

the Maralitang Nagkakaisa sa 

Tramo (MANATRA) began in 

December 2002.

answered: “Lahat ng trabaho 

(sa site) ay nakasalalay sa 

balikat ng isang foreman… 

Kung ano man ang mangyari sa 

trabaho, ang foreman ang 

lalapitan ng project engineer, 

`yan ang sisisihin. Ako’y nahihiya 

na tawaging ‘boss’, pero napipilitan 

akong gampanan ang trabaho ko 

dahil ‘yung project engineer dito 

(Engineer Toto Bañares)… 

the the poor 

poor 

As part of their agreement 

with Habitat, homepartners are 

required to deliver 400 hours of 

“sweat equity” (volunteer labor) 

for their homes. So Aling Glenda, 

Mang Abner, and their neighbors 

began the process by clearing the 

land that MDF had bought for 

them. In February 2003, site 

development began, and 

Habitat’s engineers and construction 

team consulted with the 

homepartners’ association on 

major decisions affecting their 

community’s design and layout. 

Everyone was happy 

about how the community was 

being built, and the home-partners 

were eagerly giving their 

share of sweat equity. As Aling 

mabait naman sa ‘min…(Every 

job on the site rests on the 

foreman’s shoulders… If 

something wrong goes on, it’s 

the foreman who gets blamed 

by the project engineer. I 

don’t like being called ‘boss’ 

by the people here, but I’m 

compelled to do my job 

because our project 

engineer’s good to us.)” 

Glenda put it, 

“Natutuwa 

(ang mga tao 

dito) kasi 

magiging 

kanila (ang 

mga bahay)… 

Pakiramdam 

nila na sila ang 

gumagawa ng 

bahay nila.” 

Mang Abner 

adds: “Excited (ang mga tao) na 

makatira nang kumportable… 

‘Yung hindi ka kakabahan. (The 

people here are glad because the 

houses will soon be theirs… They 

feel as if they were building their 

homes themselves… People are 

excited to live comfortably… For 

them to live without anxiety.)” 

According to him, the rainy 

season often brings flood waters 

of up to chest-deep, so the 

Habitat for Humanity International 

There are three things that people 

need to live respectably – food, clothing, 

and shelter. 

In today’s world, decent housing 

remains a dream among the poor. In 1976 

American Millard Fuller and his wife Linda 

set up the Habitat for Humanity 

International (HFHI) housing ministry to 

give low-income families a sturdy roof 

above their heads. What began with a small 

group of concerned individuals has now 

become a worldwide grass roots movement. 

Habitat for Humanity has 2,100 active 

affiliates in 92 countries, and has built more 

than 150,000 houses around the world, 

helping more than 750,000 people in more 

than 3,000 communities. 

neighborhood is particularly 

excited to have somewhere safe 

and dry to come home to when 

the rains hit them this year. 

The new community— 

what will be called Dreamland 

Heights—should be completed 

by June of this year. By August, 

all 427 families will 

finally move into their new 

homes, and build more secure 

lives for their families.


The master mason and his men. Mang Rolly is 

flanked by sons Rodel and Roberto, who are 

budding masons themselves, and his loyal crew of 

Habitat workers.

CEMEX Palitada King: 

A mason’s trusty aide 

With 15 years of experience 

in the construction industry, Mang 

Rolly sure knows all about cement. 

When CEMEX donated several 

sacks of CEMEX Palitada King to 

the Habitat housing project last April 

27, he was skeptical about how the 

plastered walls would turn out to be. 

After all, cement is cement, and 

there wasn’t much that other brands 

have offered in the past to make 

him think otherwise. 

But our master mason was 

pleasantly surprised when the walls 

of two Habitat homes were completed 

that afternoon. “Malaki ang 

diperensiya…” he notes with a 

smile, “Malaki talaga… Ang CEMEX 

Palitada King, mas madaling haluin, 

at saka parang magaan sa kamay 

ng mason… Hindi rin basta-basta 

nagka-crack `yung napalitada na… 

Malakas magdikit. Hindi natuklap! 

(There’s really a big difference 

between CEMEX Palitada King and 

other cement brands… CEMEX 

Palitada King is easier to mix, and it 

feels light… It also doesn’t easily 

crack… It bonds easily. It really 

doesn’t crack!)” 

He says that other cement 

brands were not as “sticky” as 

CEMEX Palitada King, “pagpalitada 

ng mason, malalaglag… 

Didikit, pero magbilang ka ng 

tatlong minuto, tutuklap na `yan. 

Kung wala kang tiyaga na basain 

ng tubig (ang dingding habang 

nagpapalitada), makikita mo talaga 

na magka-crack ‘yan… Kaya 

kailangan may tiyaga ka talaga 

kung (ibang) semento ang gamit 

mo, pero sa CEMEX Palitada 

King… pagkatapos naming 

ipalitada ang dingding, may 

parte… na smooth… kaya ngayon 

makikita natin na maganda tingnan 

(As soon as a mason has plastered 

the wall, 

you’ll see some 

cement droppings… The 

cement will stick, but give it just 

three minutes and you’ll see bits of 

it fall. If you’re not patient enough to 

wet the wall while you’re plastering, 

you’ll really see it crack… So you 

really have to be patient if you’re 

using other cement brands… but 

with CEMEX Palitada King… you’ll 

see that the wall is smooth as soon 

as you’ve finished plastering it… 

You’ll see that it really looks nice.).” 

CEMEX Palitada King’s 

consistency is also good for the 

project team itself because it allows 

them to save on time and money. 

Because plasters made with 

CEMEX Palitada King are stickier 

and adhere more easily, masons 

spend less time and energy plastering 

walls, translating to more 

efficient labor and savings on 

Ang CEMEX 


mas madaling 

haluin, at saka 

parang magaan 

sa kamay ng 

mason… Hindi 

rin basta-basta 

nagka-crack 

`yung 

napalitada 

na… Malakas 

magdikit. Hindi 

natuklap!


overtime pay. “Ang (CEMEX) 

Palitada King mas matipid at mas 

matibay…di mapapagod ang 

trabahente… hindi paulit-ulit ang 

trabaho,” Mang Rolly claims. “Kung 

minsan kasi, naiinis na ‘yung mason 

dahil, minsan … di lang limang 

beses matutuklap (ang semento)… 

‘Pag-plaster mo, ilang minuto lang, 

matutuklap na. Iyon ang problema… 

‘Yung mason, kamot na lang sa ulo 

dahil napipikon na. Kaya nga, sabi 

ko (kay Engr. Bañares), sana 

(CEMEX) Palitada King na ang 

gamitin natin (CEMEX Palitada King 

is stronger and more economical… 

the worker doesn’t get tired because 

work isn’t repeated… Masons get 

annoyed sometimes because the 

cement splinters more than five 

times… Once you’ve plastered the 

wall, the cement will splinter in just a 

few minutes. That’s the problem. The 

mason just scratches his head out of 

exasperation. That’s why I’ve asked 

Engr. Bañares to use CEMEX 

Palitada King here).” 

And what did the project 

engineer say about his request? 

According to Mang Rolly, “Kinausap 

ko na si Engineer (Bañares), sabi 

niya, ‘Wag kang mag-alala… ‘yan 

na ang gagamitin natin.’ (I spoke to 

Engineer Bañares, and he said, 

‘Don’t worry, that’s what we’ll use.’)” 

Clearly, CEMEX Palitada 

King rules over the rest. 

It’s not all work 

It’s not all work at the site 

for this foreman and his crew of 45. 

Even as they’re standing in the 

intense midday heat of the summer 

sun, surrounded by cement, sand, 

and dust, and fully wrapped in caps, 

scarves, long-sleeved shirts, and 

sturdy pants, the men can still 

exchange stories and jokes while 

they work. The topic of that day’s 

bantering: men and their wives. 

“Mayroon ring panahon ng 

kasiyahan (sa site),” Mang Rolly 

shares with a smile. “Dito, 

nagbibiruan kami, nag-uusap, 

nagtatawanan… Ang pagtatrabaho 

at pagkukuwentuhan, puwede 

namang ipagsabay, susundin mo 

lang ‘yung kausap mo… palakadlakad 

kayo kasi hindi kayo 

puwedeng tumigil sa isang lugar 

lang (There are also light moments 

here on the site… Here, we joke with 

each other, we laugh with each 

other… It’s easy to mix working and 

bantering, you just have to walk 

around with the person you’re talking 

to because you can’t just stand still in 

one place.).” When asked what they 

frequently talked about while working, 

he answered: “Problema sa 

asawa… pamumuhay, budgeting… 

pamilya… ang pulitika, madalang… 

(Relationship problems… life, 

budgeting, family, hardly anything 

about politics)” He said that, in spite 

of the forthcoming elections (the 

interview was conducted two weeks 

before the presidential elections), 

talk of politics was rare—the people 

were too wrapped up in their everyday 

concerns to bother much about 

politicians. 

“Ang karamihan (sa mga tao 

dito), humihingi ng payo (tungkol sa 

mga asawa nila)…,” he admits. “Kung 

minsan, nalulutas ang problema, 

kung minsan naman, humahantong 

sa di pagkakasundo.. Hindi naman 

maiiwasan `yan. (Most of the men 

here ask for advice about their 

wives… Sometimes, they’re able to 

solve their problems, other times, it 

ends in conflict.)” 

Mang Rolly, however, is 

more fortunate than his colleagues. 

His wife, Aling Vising, is clearly 

supportive of his work, as are his six 

children: Rodel, 23; Roberto, 19; 

Rolando, 17; Rovelyn, 15; Rowena, 

13; and Reginald, 11. The family was 

based in General Santos City, their 

hometown, when Mang Rolly was 

offered to work in Habitat for 

Humanity’s project site in Taguig, 

Metro Manila, near the C-5 stretch. 

From there, he moved to his current 

location in San Pedro, Laguna, 

where he was joined by his entire 

family in April of this year. After 

Dreamland Heights’ completion in 

June, the family will once again move 

to another Habitat project in Fairview, 

Quezon City, then in Bicol, before 

settling back in their native Gen San. 

Do his wife and children 

complain about this frequent 

movement? No, Mang Rolly an- 

swers without hesitation, in his 

heavily accented Filipino. In fact, 

the children enjoy being able to go 

around the country with him—it’s an 

opportunity they would not have 

had elsewhere. His three elder 

sons, Rodel, Roberto, and Rolando, 

are even employed already by 

Habitat, with Rodel and Roberto 

being masons, while young 

Rolando is still a helper. Mang Rolly 

is proud that his sons enjoy masonry 

as much as he does, so 

much so that they quit school to join 

him at the site. “Kung ano ang 

puno, siya rin ang bunga,” he 

quotes an old Filipino expression. 

There is clearly much 

more to masonry than 

meets the eye, and 

what Mang Rolly has 

shown us was just a 

slice of these lives 

that are often taken 

for granted. 

Masons toil under the sun 

and work under the harshest 

conditions to complete the homes 

and structures that stand proudly on 

our streets, and it is but fitting that 

they be treated with the same 

respect as other professionals. 

Their hands may be dirty, but their 

work is noble—it is their sweat that 

keeps us and our families secure at 

night. 

CEMEX values the work 

that these men do to support our 

partners and our industry. We hope 

that, as we take our work to the next 

level, so can we take these men to 

higher ground, offering them 

products, services, and training that 

can put the Filipino mason at par 

with their peers from around the 

world. Much still has to be done, 

but with your support, much can be 

achieved. What else is in store for 

you? Keep posted for the next 

issue of CEMEX + ME!

Mang Rolly, however, is more fortunate than his 

colleagues. His wife, Aling Vising, is clearly supportive 

of his work, as are his six children: Rodel, 23; Roberto, 

19; Rolando, 17; Rovelyn, 15; Rowena, 13; and 

Reginald, 11. The family was based in General Santos 

City, their hometown, when Mang Rolly was offered to 

work in Habitat for Humanity’s project site in Taguig.


1 

1 

3 

2 

4

Lessons on cement 

mixing + plastering 

We asked Mang Rolly to give us a few tips on the 

proper way of mixing cement and plastering walls, 

and he gamely showed us how. 

1 Masonry cement is different from other kinds of 

cement. To achieve the right consistency required in 

plastering cement walls, Mang Rolly recommends 

mixing one sack of masonry cement (he highly 

recommends CEMEX Palitada King for his projects) 

with three sacks of sand and file aggregates. 

2 This mixture should be properly and evenly mixed 

with five drums of water. The resulting cement 

mixture should be enough to plaster a 5-sq.m. wall. 

3 Because masonry cement dries easily, masons 

should be patient enough to frequently wet the 

surface being plastered. Otherwise, they’ll have a 

hard time plastering the wall properly. 

4 Masons have a particular way of flicking their wrists 

when plastering walls with cement. Mang Rolly 

advises masons to use whatever style they’re 

comfortable with, as long as the cement sticks 

nicely and evenly to the wall. Some of his workers, 

for instance, use a trowel (kutsara in Filipino, or 

palita in Mang Rolly’s native Bisaya) in scooping, 

slapping, and flattening the cement onto the wall, 

but Mang Rolly uses a wooden “tray” that is commonly 

used for catching “cement droppings”. 

Mang Rolly recommends CEMEX Palitada King for plastering 

because of its consistency and “stickiness.” According to him, 

“hindi madaling matuklap ang (CEMEX) Palitada King”, 

unlike other cement brands. With CEMEX Palitada King, dried 

cement doesn’t ordinarily crack, so walls are sturdier and 

look much better.


CEMEX 

answers your 

questions 

about 

cement, 

cement 

products, 

and other 

related 

topics. In this 

issue of CEMEX + Me, 

we’ll talk about how you 

can make more efficient 

use of cement through 

CEMEX’s specially 

formulated products. 

Got questions? Fill out 

the question question question question question coupon coupon coupon, coupon coupon 

the yellow strip at the 

right end of the next 

page, and: (1) hand it to 

your ASM (Area Sales 

Manager); (2) fax it to 

849-3502 849-3502 849-3502; 849-3502 849-3502 or call the 

CEMEX Service Center 

at 849-3501. 849-3501 849-3501 849-3501 849-3501 

Ask CEMEX 

QUESTION I recently read 

that structures built near 

the water are more 

exposed to sulfates 

which can cause the 

concrete to deteriorate. 

I’m building a high-rise 

project near the seafront—what 

should I do 

to protect the concrete 

from these sulfates? 

ANSWER You’re right in 

saying that structures built near bodies of water are more vulnerable to what 

we call Marine Attack. This is why CEMEX recently developed a cement 

product specifically for structures built in or near bodies of water: CEMEX 

Marine. It is a high-strength Portland cement with high sulfate resistance and 

lower heat of hydration that makes it less prone to cracking and more resistant to 

sulfates. CEMEX Marine passes both Type I and Type V characteristics, and 

conforms to the specifications of ASTM C150 and PNS 07. 

We introduced CEMEX Marine as a response 

to the damages that we have observed 

in concrete structures here in the Philippines— 

a country that is frequently visited by typhoons 

and has a sulfate-rich environment—but it is 

also being used in Spain, Egypt, Venezuela, 

and the United States. 

More about Marine Attack:Marine Attack, 

also known by others as sulfate attack, occurs 

when concrete comes into contact with water 

and soil containing sulfates (SO 4 ). Sulfates are 

found in: water, sea water, soil in volcanic 

environments, and even in acid rain—although 

in varying levels. These sulfates react with 

hydration products of the tri-calcium aluminate 

(C 3 A) that is present in concrete, causing the 

concrete to deteriorate. 

Marine Attack can occur because of elements 

in the soil, water, and air, and its effects 

can’t be reversed. Once a structure has already been hit by Marine Attack, the 

damaged part has to be removed and replaced with concrete that can resist 

sulfates, such as CEMEX Marine. That’s why it’s important to build a sulfateresistant 

structure right from the start. 

QUESTION I’ve heard that your new product, CEMEX Marine, is stronger 

than Ordinary Portland Cement. I also heard that it can resist sulfates that 

are found in the environment. Does its name mean that it’s applicable only 

for buildings that are built near the water?

ANSWER Not necessarily. CEMEX Marine’s most important feature is its strength, 

making it the ideal cement brand for foundations. 

When you are building a home or an office building, you’d want to make sure that its 

structure is sturdy, safe, and can last a lifetime. The security of the people inside 

depends on the strength of a building, so you’d have to ensure right from the start 

that its foundation is strong. 

CEMEX developed CEMEX Marine precisely to give customers the kind of cement 

that they would need for building foundations. CEMEX Marine is the first and only 

Portland cement that was made specially for foundations, and it has a high sulfate 

resistant formulation that makes it stronger than any existing cement brands in the 

market today. 

Lab tests and soil analyses have shown that harmful sulfates can be found both 

underground and under water. Since your foundation is the part of your structure 

that’s always in contact with soil, you should protect it from harmful sulfates to make 

sure that it will stand the test of time. 

QUESTION Can CEMEX Marine also be used for plastering walls? 

ANSWER Yes, it can, but we’ve developed a product that’s more suited to 

plastering and masonry than other kinds of cement: CEMEX Palitada King. It 

has four qualities that make it the ideal masonry cement: Kapit dikit – CEMEX 

Palitada King is easier to apply and bonds faster and stronger to walls than 

Ordinary Portland Cement; Iwas crack – it does not crack easily, so it gives walls a 

smoother, cleaner finish; Nakakatipid – CEMEX Palitada King is more affordable 

than Ordinary Portland Cement, and allows builders to save as much as 20 percent 

on labor and materials costs; and Ginhawa ipahid – CEMEX Palitada King is easy 

to apply because it has special ingredients that make it more workable and waterretentive, 

helping masons in the shaping and finishing process. 

It took many hours of research and development for 

CEMEX to produce just the right kind of cement for 

plastering, hollow block filling, and brick layering, but 

CEMEX is satisfied that it has met the market’s needs 

with CEMEX Palitada King. Both masons and contractors 

agree that it is a breakthrough product, one that 

makes plastering much easier and more efficient than allpurpose 

Portland cement. 

QUESTION What is the difference between CEMEX 

Palitada King and all-purpose Portland cement? 

ANSWER CEMEX Palitada King is masonry cement, and 

is best used for plastering, hollow block filling, and brick 

layering. All-purpose Portland cement, on the other hand, 

is best used for general construction projects and loadbearing 

structures. 

Name Title/Company 

Phone number Email address 

Area Sales Manager (ASM) 

Question: 

Ask CEMEX! 

Fill out this question coupon if you 

have questions about CEMEX 

products or services, then HAND IT 

OVER TO YOUR ASM, or FAX IT 

through 849-3502. You may also 

call in your questions to the CEMEX 

Service Center, at 849-3501.


Text by Gay Domingo 

Photos by Alfred Mendoza 

Shot on location at Deco Centrum 

EDSA corner Annapolis Street 

San Juan, Metro Manila 

(telephones 7225592 and 722-5596) 

PASSION 

+STYLE 

Design by Jonathan G. Matti

JONATHAN G. MATTI, DESIGN DIRECTOR 

of Jonathan G. Matti Design Associates, is 

passionate about what he does. It shows in 

the excited way that he relates how the 

visitors in a home that he just finished were 

so impressed with the finished product that 

they made a very tempting offer to the 

house’s owner. “They fell in love with the 

house and the price they gave was quite 

attractive!” Jonathan enthuses. The homeowner, 

who had no intention of selling his 

place, is still pondering the sale. Sale or no 

sale, Jonathan is very pleased. For him, the 

offer to buy was one of the best compliments 

that he received. “It’s heartwarming to know 

that we did a good job,” he says. 

Jonathan believes in working 

closely with his clients and 

making sure that he is aware 

of his clients’ needs and 

budget. “One should be 

sensitive to the expenses that 

the client will incur.” 

“Involved” describes how Jonathan does 

business. “I’m on top of each and every project,” 

he admits. Their firm only accepts a maximum of 

five projects at a time so that Jonathan could 

focus on each and every project. 

He’s thankful that through the years, 

he’s built up a steady client base, many of 

whom have become close friends. “I feel so 

blessed that clients keep coming back,” he 

says. “Most of them are repeat clients.” 

TRENDSPOTTING WITH JONATHAN 

Being in the design business for over a 

decade, Jonathan has developed an eye for 

upcoming trends. His forecast? “These days, 

there’s a backlash of the bare sphere. Today, we 

see more detail, a little bit of color,” says Jonathan. 

He cites tribal art, crystals, chandeliers, 

and photographs (not family pictures 

but dramatic images) as the new accessories 

for today’s homes. Tribal art, Jonathan 

singles out, could be easily mixed and 

matched with antique colonial furniture. 

Silver is always a staple in Jonathan Matti's 

designs. "Silver always gives a place a 

subtler shimmer," he says. 

Opposite page: Interior designer & 

architect Jonathan Matti in his office 

Above: Minimalist is out, elaborate 

fixtures like chandeliers are in. 

About Jonathan: 

Jonathan G. Matti went 

into design, simply because he 

loved it. 

He finished BS 

Architecture at the University of 

Santo Tomas. He wanted to live 

in Europe after graduation, but 

then his first project came 

along. In the beginning, he did 

everything himself, including 

drafting the plans. When more 

projects started pouring, 

Jonathan was able to hire 

people so that he could focus 

on giving the clients quality 

and personalized service. 

Their firm has done 

designs for residential, 

commercial, and retail 

establishments. Jonathan 

reveals that most of their 

projects are still homes. 

"Homes are the lifeline of our 

company and I just get 

immersed in each and every 

one of them," says Jonathan. 

He is an avid collector 

of arts and antiques, 

particularly paintings and 

colonial Filipino furniture. One 

of the projects that he’s 

involved in right now is his own 

home, which is taking forever, 

as he is his hardest client.


"It's a matter 

of style, needs 

and tastes. 

Know what you 

are inclined at 

and then 

things will fall 

into place." 

Jonathan Matti

You can spot the signature red crystal even from a distance. 

Colors have a 

bold streak mixed with 

neutrals like browns and 

beiges. “It’s like that in 

fashion where we see a 

lot of neutrals with 

splashes of color. The 

monochromatic earth tone 

color is slowly fading. 

Fashion and interiors are 

intertwined,” says 

Jonathan. 

“The trend now 

is going back to what 

looks natural, like 

beautiful wood, natural 

stone, rich silk, and 

light velvets with a 

sheer feel," he says. 

Candles, a 

common fixture in many 

homes for many, many 

years now, will always 

be there according to 

Jonathan. He says 

“Every home should 

always have them and 

use them on a regular 

basis. I personally like 

tapered and tea 

candles for my candelabras 

at home." 

YOUR STYLE, YOUR 

PASSION 

Then again, 

Jonathan insists that 

these trends that he 

cites are just guides and 

are simply secondary to 

personal style or preference. 

Ultimately, it is the 

owner who will create 

the over-all look of his 

home. “It’s a matter of 

style, needs, and tastes,” 

says Jonathan. “Know 

what you are inclined to 

and then things will fall 

into place.” 

To cultivate style, 

Jonathan suggests being 

observant and being 

open. “Reading helps a 

lot to opening one’s eyes. 

Think out of the box. 

Eventually, your instinct 

will guide you.” 

When personal 

taste becomes the 

basis of what is beautiful 

and stylish, there will 

be no such thing as 

ugly or unattractive. 

“People have different 

tastes,” says Jonathan. 

“I think it’s unfair when 

something is labeled 

ugly. It would be more 

appropriate to say that it 

is not your taste. You 

could say that you would 

have done it in another 

way. You could still take it 

for its inherent style and 

the process that went 

through in putting 

together the whole look.” 

It’s all about 

knowing what you want. 

Take it from passionate 

design director/architect/ 

interior designer 

Jonathan G. Matti. “You 

should follow your 

passion; whatever 

motivates you will be 

reflected in one's design. 

Silver is very chic, says 

trendspotter Jonathan 

Matti.


RIGHT 

CEMEX offers basic 

medical services to 

communities where they 

operate through a series of 

medical missions. 

FAR RIGHT 

Residents of far-flung 

communities line up for 

basic health services that 

they usually don't have 

access to. 

APO and SOLID reach out to 

their neighbors through backto-back 

medical missions 

CEMEX Philippines’ APO and 

SOLID Cement Plants held back-toback 

medical missions within each of 

their communities in April 2004. 

These medical missions are part of 

the “CEMEX with a Heart Program,” 

that provides, among others, sustained 

health and education services to 

community residents. On April 22, 

APO gave approximately 400 patients 

free medical consultation and medicine 

at the APO Multi-purpose Complex. 

CEMEX Philippines President Jaime 

Ruiz de Haro and Naga City Vice Mayor 

Val Chiong were there to take part in 

the activity. 

This was soon followed by Operation 

Second Chance, where the APO 

Cement staff and volunteers visited a 

detention center for minor offenders in 

Cebu City. Aside from conducting a 

free medical mission and distributing 

medicines, the volunteers also distributed 

personal hygiene kits. 

Solid Cement also conducted a Free 

Clinic on April 24, where volunteers 

gave free medical attention and medicine 

to approximately 300 patients. 

CEMEX Philippines Vice President for 

Planning Alejandro Ramirez Cantu 

participated in this mission. 

This medical mission program is a 

joint effort of the Planning and Human 

Resources departments, with support 

from the APO Ladies Club and the 

Solid Ladies Club. 

5,000 5,000 5,000 community community residents 

residents 

from from Antipolo Antipolo and and Cebu 

Cebu 

benefitbenefit from from CEMEX CEMEX PhilipPhilip- 

pines’ pines’ free free health health health programs 

programs 

Approximately five thousand 

community residents from Antipolo, 

Rizal and Tina-an, Naga, Cebu have 

benefited from free health services since 

the CEMEX Philippines Group of 

Companies began conducting medical 

missions and feeding programs in these 

areas in January 2004. 

The free monthly medical missions 

are part of “CEMEX with a Heart 

Program”, which was created in 2002 as 

a holistic approach to community 

relations—a way of giving back to the 

communities where it operates. For the 

first trimester of this year alone, 

CEMEX has already conducted 12 

medical missions in various barangays, 

benefiting approximately 5,000 community 

residents in San Jose, Antipolo and 

Naga, Cebu, where the company’s 

cement manufacturing plants are 

located. 

Local residents and officials alike 

have warmly welcomed this effort, 

especially since most of the beneficiaries 

of the program live in far-flung 

areas, and who don’t have access to 

basic health care services. 

CEMEX Philippines brings 

medical mission to Tabaco, 

Albay 

CEMEX Philippines crossed new 

territories on May 2 when it brought its 

medical mission to the Ziga Memorial 

Hospital, in Tabaco, Albay. The 

company provided Tabaco residents 

with free medical consultation and

CEMEX NEWS 

medicine, as well as free circumcision 

that was done with the help of three 

surgeons from the Ziga Memorial 

Hospital and the Regional Health Unit 

organized by former Albay representative 

Krisel Lagman-Luistro and her 

father, Congressman Edcel Lagman. 

Congressman Lagman was 

sincerely happy and thankful that his 

district was a recipient of CEMEX 

Philippines’ support and commitment 

to help address the basic health needs 

of the people. 

CEMEX helps young students 

map out their futures 

Aware of the difficulty that young 

students face today in choosing 

college courses—and, eventually, 

careers—to pursue, CEMEX Philippines 

in March 12, 2004 organized a 

Career Orientation for over a thousand 

graduating students from Naga 

National High School (NNHS) in the 

APO Multipurpose Complex in the 

APO Cement Plant, Tinaan, Naga, 

Cebu, and Mayamot National High 

School (MNHS) in Antipolo City. 

Both are adopted schools of CEMEX 

Philippines. 

Speakers from the CEMEX 

Makati office, as well as from APO 

Cement and Solid Cement Corporations, 

gave the students inspiring talks 

to encourage them to take their career 

choices seriously, as these will largely 

determine their professional and 

personal success. The speakers offered 

different insights on the various 

challenges and opportunities awaiting 

the students in various professional 

fields, perhaps helping to crystallize 

the youngsters’ choices as early as 

now. 

APO employees and volunteers 

donate blood for a cause 

On February 17, 2004, APO plant 

employees, contractors, and community 

residents trooped to the APO 

Multipurpose Complex in the APO 

Cement Plant, in Tina-an, Naga, Cebu 

to support the Philippine National 

Red Cross’ (PNRC) blood-letting 

program.The activity was done 

through the efforts of APO employees 

and the APO Ladies Club, in 

coordination with the PNRC Cebu 

Chapter. The PNRC is the 

government’s auxiliary arm that 

provides relief, health, and welfare 

services to those in need, including 

victims of disaster and other emergencies.


CEMEX 

Palitada King 

Goes to Habitat 

for Humanity 

Masons interviewed 

at the site said that 

CEMEX Palitada King 

was easier to apply 

to the walls than 

ordinary cement. 

INSIDE CEMEX: 

Clean, crackfree 

walls – 

thanks to 

CEMEX 

Palitada King. 

Some of these 

homes are the 

temporary 

quarters of the 

homebuilders 

who do their 

share of “sweat 

equity.” 

Last April 18, 

CEMEX 

launched its 

newest product, 

CEMEX 


not with an 

unveiling to 

clients and 

retailers, but 

with a visit to 

the Habitat for 

Humanity site 

in Laguna. 

CEMEX brought 

bags of 

Palitada King 

for the home 

builders to 

use. Their 

verdict? 

“CEMEX 

Palitada King 

is the KING for 

plastering!” 

Let’s relive the highlights of past CEMEX events – with clients, the community, 

with colleagues and friends – in this colorful portfolio of pictures. 

The “magic” of 

CEMEX Palitada 

King is 

showcased 

in this 

product trial 

done during the 

internal launch 

at the Makati 

office. 

It was a full house when CEMEX 

Palitada King was launched last 

May to CEMEX's Makati employees.

Go team go! The management and staff of 

the CEMEX Makati office and members of the 

Luzon Sales team had a blast at Club Manila 

East in Rizal last May 15 for the very first 

summer company outing. It was an entire 

afternoon of “Survivor”-type games that had 

everyone in high spirits. The different teams 

sported blue, red, yellow, and gray – colors 

that represent CEMEX products. 

It was literally a ball at the series 

of bowling tournaments held in 

five areas: NCR, South Luzon, 

Iloilo, Bacolod, and Cebu. Staff, 

management, and clients declared 

that the score of the event was a 

“perfect strike!” 

Just a few of the very many who trooped 

to the CEMEX Medical Missions held in 

Naga, Cebu and Albay. Over 700 patients 

benefited from the missions. 

Attendees of one of the series of Masons’ 

Night Outs pose for the souvenir “class 

picture” shot. Kudos to event handler 

Area Sales Manager Armind Sony who 

kept the masons very happy. 

Kayaking and amazing 

race were among the 

events for the 

sportsfest. 

Champions of the bowling tournament in Cebu 

A CEMEX Summer 

CEMEX Medical Missions. 

Medical missions were initiated 

by the Planning and 

Human Resources departments, 

together with the 

Ladies Clubs of APO and Solid 

and volunteers. CEMEX 

Philippines President Jaime 

Ruiz de Haro personally 

helped out in some of the 

missions.


CEMEX Christmas Wish at Solid Cement Plant. Children of 

Pantay Elementary School were very happy with the party thrown for them by 

the staff of the Solid Plant. Administration managers contributed to buy gifts 

and prizes for the kids especially for the occasion. 

INSIDE CEMEX 

Operation 

Second Chance 

APO Cement staff and 

volunteers brought food, 

goodies, personal hygiene 

kits, and cheer to the kids 

at Operation Second 

Chance, a detention center 

for minors. 

Isang Lapis, Isang 

Papel Project 

The Solid Ladies Club handed 

out paper and school supplies to 

the students of the J.S. Cabarrus 

Public School, located inside the 

Solid Cement Compound. 

CEMEX and 

the UAP 

CEMEX joined the United 

Architects of the Philippines 

(UAP) exhibit held at 

Manila Hotel last April 15- 

17, 2004. 

Bloodletting 

CEMEX employees, contractors, 

and volunteers from 

the community voluntarily 

donated blood in this special 

mission organized at the 

APO Plant. 

A CEMEX Christmas Wish CEMEX 

Philippines VP Operations and Technical, Martin Langvad 

and his wife “adopted” some children for a day and gifted 

them with things from their Christmas wishlist. 

CEMEX Turnover of Land Titles 

in Binangonan, Rizal. Binangonan Mayor Cesar Ynares 

and CEMEX Philippines VP for Commercial, Nicandro 

Fucoy, handed out certificate of land titles to qualified 

residents of the Don Vicente Madrigal Village, a 

relocation project of the Rizal Cement Company. 

Feed-A-Child 

Once a month, the APO 

Ladies and Solid Ladies 

Clubs go to local communities 

to address the problem 

of malnutrition, like this 

mission pictured above.

40 CEMEX+ME 1st Half of 2004 /MANILA, PHILIPPINES

AAA CEMEXME v 13 for press.pmd - Cemex Philippines

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