Taiheiyo • 2025 Jan-March

DTI SECRETARY ON TAIHEIYO

New Cebu plant, Luzon hub vital to PH growth’

TOKYO, Japan (March 6, 2025) – The completion by the Taiheiyo Group of a new cement plant in Cebu and the construction of a distribution terminal for Luzon are “critical contributions to the Philippines’ growth.”

Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque referred to the state-of-the art cement manufacturing plant that Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (TCC) inaugurated in Cebu last July 18 and the supply hub in Batangas that broke ground by Sept. 26.

In a news release posted on March 6, 2025, on the official website of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Roque declared that both projects are “crucial for building a more competitive and resilient industrial sector.”

She met last March 3 in Tokyo with TCC executives from the Business Development Department of the International Busi-

ness Division to be updated on the company’s expansion in the Philippines.

TCC subsidiary Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) operates the new facility in San Fernando town of Cebu province and soon the terminal inside the Calaca Industrial Seaport in Calaca City, Batangas province in southern Luzon.

TCC director and senior executive officer Shinji Fukami, also IBD senior general manager, met with Secretary Roque accompanied by BDD general manager Masao Osumi with his key staff Hidetaka Yamanokuchi and Narumi Saito.

Top-Level Meeting. Shinji Fukami (center left), TCC director and senior executive officer of the International Business Division, stands beside DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque (center right) when they met on March 3, 2025 in Tokyo. Flanking both are, from left: TCC IBD Business Development Department (BDD) staff Narumi Saito and Hidetaka Yamanokuchi, their immediate boss BDD general manager Masao Osumi, DTI Assistant Secretary Englebert Josef Chua, DTI PTIC Tokyo STR Dita Angara-Mathay, and DTI Assistant Secretary May Niña Celynne Layug.

DTI assistant secretaries Englebert Josef Chua and May Niña Celynne Layug, along with Dita Angara-Mathay, special trade representative who manages the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Tokyo.

Long-term

commitment

The DTI news release noted that the Philippines is witnessing a significant boost in its infrastructure capacity as TCPI doubles its cement production in Cebu.

It noted that TCPI’s ₱12.8 billion state-of-the-art, energy-efficient manufacturing

facility will increase its output from 50,000 to 65,000 bags to a remarkable 100,000 bags per day, “addressing the country’s growing infrastructure needs.”

Roque reported that her discussions with the TCC executives focused on Taiheiyo’s long-term commitment to the local market, pledging to continue developing strategies to boost domestic production by enhancing distribution networks.

“The Philippines cement sector presents robust growth opportunities backed by a supportive Continue to page 3 - DTI Secretary u

Taiheiyo Cebu shuts down new kiln for maintenance

Taiheiyo

Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) has shut down the operations of its new kiln, eight months after the company first lit the new production line, for preventive maintenance.

Employees from all departments, as well as every outsourced worker, gathered mid-morning on Jan. 20, 2025, with Japanese executives in front of the huge kiln for a Safety General Assembly leading to the First Kiln Shutdown Maintenance of the plant.

“This is the first shutdown maintenance of the new kiln system,” noted Dwight P. Avila, TCPI manager of the Environment and Safety Division (ESD), as he underscored the importance of the gathering to uphold and promote safety.

“We intend to strengthen communication among us, especially during the maintenance period. We strongly remind everyone of the safety practices during the scheduled kiln shutdown,” he added.

TCPI already shutdown kiln processing operations on Jan. 19. It is scheduled to run until Feb. 15, 2025, he announced.

The activity started at 9am with a prayer that human resources manager Vanessa Bongcawil led, followed by a message from TCPI President and CEO Takashi Miyashita.

“Let us be more attuned than before in taking our roles during the shutdown. Being the first with our new manufacturing plant, this is critical for us because we will be setting new baselines in our data for future references,” said Miyashita.

Plant manager Tsutomu Hirobe, also senior vice president for operations, closed the activity with a strong reminder to uphold and to always be Safety First. SVP plant manager Tsutomu Hirobe reminds employees to adhere to the company’s motto at all times, guided by KKY and the 5S.

DTI Secretary ...

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regulatory framework, strategic location in Southeast Asia, rapid urbanization, a growing effort to sustainable practices, and a readily available, skilled labor pool,” she said.

“Our ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ vision aims to create a fertile ground for global industry leaders like Taiheiyo Cement to advance their investments, drive innovation, and contribute to the country’s sustainable development,” she added.

Mathay noted that “TCPI’s global leadership in cement production, evidenced by their numerous awards for quality, sustainability, and innovation, positions them as a key partner in our national development and modernization efforts.”

64 percent

Building on its established presence in Cebu since 2000, Taiheiyo started construction of a distribution terminal in Calaca, strategically targeting the Luzon market, which accounts for 64 percent of the country’s cement demand, noted the DTI report

“Once operational, this new facility will streamline logistics, optimize supply chain efficiency, and ensure timely delivery of cement to this critical region,” it added.

To bolster a competitive environment in the cement industry, the DTI has been implementing rigorous quality control measures and enforcing fair trade practices, according to Secretary Roque.

She underscored the DTI’s dedication to maintaining a level playing field, ensuring product standards, and protecting both consumers and local manufacturers.

“Like cement that fortifies structure, Taiheiyo’s investments will strengthen the Philippines’ foundation for sustained industrial excellence, paving the way for resilient infrastructure, residential, and commercial development that will benefit generations to come,” she said.

“By integrating modern technologies and improving operational efficiency, this partnership expands local production, generates quality jobs, and reinforces the country’s position as a key force in regional infrastructure advancement,” Roque emphasized. ♦

TETSUYUKI MIYANO

Science loved him back

He hated Science. He abhorred in his thought when Science would be the next subject. He later realized he disliked Science, not because of the subject per se. Rather, he despised his Science teacher in Junior High, much more for giving him low grades.

At Senior High, he got blessed to have a funny Science teacher. His interest on the subject started, and his grades grew high in meteoric proportions, eventually falling in love with Chemistry, inspired yet with another Science teacher.

If not Chemistry, Tetsuyuki Miyano thought his interest would either be with Math or Physics.

Needless to say, he pursued Chemistry when he entered

Tetsuyuki Miyano, the new operations deputy division manager the university in Hiroshima, a place that once fell victim to a combined product of Chemistry and Physics that gave him the will to use Science for the betterment of humanity. He pursued post-graduate studies at Hiroshima University on the applications of Chemistry in Engineering

and completed it by March of 2010. Gladly, Science has since loved him back. Fly ash

A month after, Miyano joined Taiheiyo Cement Corporation at its Kamiiso plant in Hokuto City at the center of the Oshima subprefecture at far cold north Hokkaido as production staff assigned at the raw and finish mills. He moved to the Saitama plant in Kumagaya City, the geographical heart of Japan, after four years, as a senior staff first assigned at the raw mill, then in optimizing fuel at its 49-megawatt coal-fired power plant for three years. By October 2017, Miyano transferred to the Fujiwara plant handling the mixture of Continue to page 4 - Miyano u

Shutdown ...

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conscious about safety procedures.

“Bear in mind our motto, ‘Safety First.’ It is simple yet deeply meaningful and relevant to us, not only during the shutdown, but in our everyday work. Be always guided by KKY and the 5S,” said Hirobe.

In KKY, he referred to Kiken Yochi that literally means “danger prediction” in English, while 5S includes seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke In English, they mean sort, systematize, shine, standardize and self-discipline.

LOTOTO

Four plant complex managers spoke to the employees during the assembly, each focusing on particular concerns the employees need go adhere to during the shutdown.

• Eng’r. Jose C. Pogoy, production department manager, discussed about the necessary safety work permits, especially the confined space entry permit and working at height permit;

• Eng’r. Jovenal Ebesa, electrical and instrumentation deputy department manager, emphasized the “Lock Out, Tag Out, Test Out” (LOTOTO) practice;

• Eng’r. Rey Gentiles, civil deputy department manager, highlighted the use of safe-

Miyano ...

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fly ash as cement additive in the raw mill. He got a promotion after four months to assistant production manager, overseeing clinker quality at the same plant.

He got a tour of duty at the Itoigawa plant along Japan’s midwestern seaboard facing Russia in Niigata prefecture, overseeing its clinker production, giving attention to the mixture of fly ash and other recyclables, and running the coal mill.

Then, Dec. 18, 2023, marked the beginning of another tour of duty, this time overseas off Japan, as operations deputy division manager of Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI).

Dragon Quest and Dead by Daylight,

Since his wife Hitomi, also 39, and their boys, Tomoki, 10, and Haruki, going 7, moved in with him here in Cebu, he spends more of his time guiding his kids who now study at Center for International Education with their homework.

On weekends and holidays, often with fellow expats, he and his loved ones enjoy the natural wonders in the country. They once visited Boracay, Bohol twice, and Oslob often to experience the Butanding (what shark).

ty harness when working at heights; and

• Eng’r. Telesforo Mendoza, maintenance and engineering division manager, underscored the requirement to wear complete basic personal protective equipment (PPE).

Early detection

A shutdown of a kiln is crucial for ensuring consistent, high-quality results, preventing costly repairs, and maintaining safety by proactively addressing potential issues before one could escalate.

It is meant to ensure consistent firing and maintain a consistent firing process, leading to predictable and high-quality results. Early detection and correction of problems can avoid major breakdowns and expensive repairs.

The process also reviews the electrical systems, ventilation, and temperature controls if these are functioning correctly to prevent accidents and fires, also to minimize unplanned downtime and ensure continuous operation.

The shutdown also checks the kiln alignment to balance the whole production line, prevent premature wear, maintaining the refractory to achieve maximum efficiency and further extend the kiln’s lifespan with its various components. ♦

While the Renewal Project was still in progress, Miyano helped study the system for the new TCPI plant and crafted its operational procedures. He now oversees the process from clinker crushing to packhouse operations with the logistics needed.

Dragon Quest

Miyano, 39, values work and focuses his time and energy when he is on his watch. After work, he simply relaxes by tuning in to J’pop music or watching animated movies while taking a booze of two bottles of his favorite San Miguel Beer.

Else, he would play video games on the wide smart TV using Nintendo Switch with

Miyano also loves going on vacation abroad. He had gone to nearby China and South Korea, to Turkey in the Middle East and far away United Kingdom.

Yet he feels more blessed having been assigned here in Cebu, despite its humid temperature, as the locals are “cheerful, easy to relate with and that they take extra effort to communicate.”

To his TCPI workmates, Miyano advises them to “enjoy your job,” it being “vital” towards efficiency and productivity. He asks them to “focus with your work at all times,” in fact, to be “strict with oneself.”

That in the same way as how much he, since Senior High, loves Science. As he could well attest, in loving what one is passionate with, it loves you back. ♦

Tabionan farmers acquire implements for irrigation

Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) continues to help alleviate upland farmers with their livelihood, providing them with implements needed in farming, especially related to water supply.

From Magsico in September last year, through the intercession of Vice Mayor Ricci Regen Reluya, TCPI this time provided the Tabionan Farmers Association (TFA) with similar gears.

Reluya turned over the implements at 11:30am on March 7, 2025, to the farmers outside the Tabionan Barangay Hall with Efren T Labrado, community relations coordinator under TCPI’s Community and General Affairs (CGA).

TFA members joined their president Cleoperla Aliasot

in receiving 10 water drums and 300 meters of high-density polyethylene pipe hose with half an inch in diameter, according to Labrado, who facilitated the purchase.

The Vice Mayor expressed gratitude to TCPI through Vanessa N. Bongcawil, CGA section head and human resources manager.

“Supporting our farmers means securing our future. With Taiheiyo Cement, we continue to provide essential resources that uplift livelihoods and strengthen our communities,” noted Reluya. Build lives

Bongcawil, on the other hand, declared that TCPI remains committed to “empowering our farming communities by providing the resources they need to thrive.”

“Together, we build not just

infrastructure, but sustainable livelihoods,” she said.

During the turnover, Labrado gave a message, saying: “Dili lang semento ang among gipatukod, kun dili usab ang kinabuhi sa atong mga mag-uuma. Kami malipayong motabang sa inyong panginahanglan.”

(“We are not just building with cement. We are also helping build the lives of our farmers. We are happy to support your needs.”)

Last Sept. 5, 2024, TCPI also turned over to Magsico farmers through Reluya 20 water drums and two rolls of water hose at Sitio Lunâ of the hinterland village.

Bongcawil personally handed over the donation with administration manager Moises B. Tañola, her staff Brijade May Navasquez and Labrado. ♦

Tonggo clinic gets medicines

Taiheiyo

Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) has provided the Tonggo health center in upland San Fernando with over the counter medicines and some vitamins.

Vanessa N Bongcawil, TCPI manager for human resources (HR) and head of the community and general affairs (CGA) section, turned over the medicines on March 14, 2025, to Tonggo barangay captain Felix Siarot at the barangay hall.

“At Taiheiyo, we believe that a strong community starts with good health,” noted Bongcawil about the donation.

“This is our way of supporting the well-being of our neighbors in Tonggo, ensuring they have access to essential medicines when they need them. We remain committed to being a partner in the community’s progress,” she added.

Siarot thanked TCPI for the “generosity and concern for our community’s health.”

“These medicines will greatly help our residents, especially those who have limited access to healthcare,” he pointed out, adding “your continued support means a lot to us.”

TCPI community frontliners Efren Labrado and Jade Navasquez helped bring the boxes of medicines. ♦

Rescue. Firefighters demonstrate how to rescue a fire victim, that an Exceed Learning Center student plays here, using harness.

“Sa pag-iwas sa sunog hindi ka nag-iisa” goes the theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Month that kicked off on March 3, 2025, in San Fernando.

In English, such a refrain means: “In preventing fire, you are not alone.”

True to its essence, Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) openly supported the initiative of the municipal government along with its supplier for earth minerals, Solid Earth Development Corp. (SEDC).

Both companies have been actively participating in the yearly activities the local government and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) organize to promote public consciousness in preventing fires.

TCPI and SEDC sent delegations at the kickoff ceremony of the 2025 Fire Prevention Month in front of the local BFP fire station behind the public market in South Poblacion.

‘No one’s alone’ in preventing fires

‘We are One’. So declare Mayor Mytha Ann Canoy and TCPI HR/CGA manager Vanessa N. Bongcawil in preventing fires. Flanking both are FO3 Maria Fe Mae Catipay (left), fire safety enforcement section chief, and TCPI eco protection officer Lulubelle Romarate (right).

itize safety,” as she commended BFP for its “unwavering dedication in promoting fire safety in our community.”

She underscored that prevention “is always better than response,” pointing out that it is about “ensuring that (fires) never happen in the first place.”

They joined Mayor Mytha Ann Canoy and Councilor Sulpicio Alguire during the program that the local police chief, P/Maj. Michael Gingoyon also attended.

Canoy described the occasion as “empowering every household, establishment, and citizen to take action and prior-

Municipal Fire Marshal, S/Insp. Constancia June C Agustin, MPA, paid tribute to the Barangay Fire Brigades for being “true force multipliers” in serving as first responders, “unsung heroes who work tirelessly.”

During the program, the BFP presented the 2nd Fire Square Road Show and Open House

with selected students from EXCEED Learning Center.

Vanessa N Bongcawil, human resources (HR) manager and head of the community general affairs (CGA) section, and administration manager Moises B. Tañola led the TCPI delegation with community relations officer Efren Labrado and nurse Bert Yap. HR/CGA staff Brijade May Navasquez, Christy P. Aberca, Patrick Von Ronnel Segovia and. Lulubelle Romarate completed the delegation with SEDC community relations officers Jennifer Rubi, Mary Ann Mendez and Monette Olmoguez. ♦

Taiheiyo gifts Hope Mountain children

Like Christmas in February

Christmas continued for children in difficult circumstances who are in the care of a Christian mission when they received gifts from a local cement company.

Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) gave each of the 21 children some loot bags when Hope Mountain Foundation marked its 5th anniversary in serving the children at this purposely undisclosed facility on Feb. 27, 2025.

Vanessa N. Bongcawil, concurrent manager for human resources and the new Public Relations and Community Affairs Department (PRCAD), and staff Efren Labrado and Brijade May Navasquez personally handed out the gifts.

Hope Mountain staff also each received a loot bag. They take care of a 4-year-old child, three toddlers aged seven and eight, four primary level kids aged nine to 11, some 12 teenagers aged 12 to 17, and one who just turned 18.

Field director Nasreen Saguiling and resident house parent Virluz Dungog welcomed the TCPI visitors who were

pleased to find former college scholar Lyxen Fano serving the institution as bookkeeper and admin assistant.

Hope Mountain educates the children like in regular schools with Shielamae Villamater serving as director of education and lead leacher, back by teachers Jebe Booz Gomez and Gia Gaihe.

Stay-out house parents Arlin Tangaro and Jodel Ferras support the current staff with the latter also serving as house cook.

Safe refuge

During the visit, Home Mountain awarded TCPI a certificate of appreciation for its partnership that “significantly contributed in the achievement of the mission and vision of the ministry” over the past five years.

Hope Mountain president Steve G. Enad and executive director Steven Eugene Rough signed the citation dated Feb. 22.

TCPI has been supporting the institution since it started its mission in 2019, including the provision of 500 bags of pozzolan cement in 2019 for the construction of the first foster house (the backdrop in the photograph above this article)

The center is “a safe refuge of Hope, Healing, and Restoration for both boys and girls rescued from on-line sexual abuse and exploitation (OSEC) as well as victim-survivors of

other forms of abuse, including rape and sexual molestation.”

The ministry is focused on restoring the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of rescued children, who live in a family-style setting, surrounded by an atmosphere of unconditional love, care, and compassion, noted its website.

Each child receives counseling, medical care, education, life-skills training, and Biblical Discipleship, it added. ♦

BHWs learn more about dengue, rabies

Barangay Health Workers (BHW) in San Fernando refreshed and learned additional inputs about dengue and rabies, common concerns they encounter in serving their constituents.

Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI) continued to provide them with what has become a quarterly program, a string of health seminars that each focus on specific current and pressing health concerns.

Through company nurse and plant sanitation officer Fredbert Cortes, TCPI presented on March 27, 2025 and “Rabies

Awareness and Prevention in the Community” and “Dengue, Awareness Prevention and Control” last Dec. 19, 2024.

BHWs from Taiheiyo’s 13 impact barangays with earth materials supplier Solid Earth Development Corp. trooped to TCPI’s junior staff house basement yesterday in two batches, first that started at 9:30am and the second by 1:30pm.

Community relations coordinator Efren T. Labrado and staff Brijade May Navasquez welcomed 148 of them, 72 in the morning from barangays Basak, Magsico, Panadtaran,

10 SOLID Years. TCPI supports the 10 anniversary of the San Fernando Organization of LGBT Initiatives for Democracy (SOLID) on March 15, 2025, with souvenir items and giveaways. In the photo, HR/Admin staff Patrick Von Ronnel C. Segovia and Admin outdoor facilities coordinator Jason Rey C. Plantar hand the items over to SOLID president Mil Mark A. Entero and fellow officers with Stephen Ravilles, secretary of Barangay South Población. SOLID champions the advancement of inclusivity, equality and democratic rights among all in the municipality. ♦

EMPLOYEE’S CORNER

Name: Zenith Victoria L. Rubi

Nickname: Zen

Birthday: September 14, 1973

Civil Status: Married

Date Hired: September 27, 1994

South Poblacion, Tabionan, Tañañas and Tubod.

The next batch of 76 from Bugho, Cabatbatan, Ilaya, North Poblacion, Tibubdan and Tonggo came in the afternoon for the 1st quarterly seminar of 2025, both disclosed.

Labrado and Navasquez also facilitated for 170 BHWs who attended the 2024 yearend BHW health seminar by Cortes last December from the 13 impact barangays.

Some 89 of them from Basak, Magsico, North Poblacion, Panadtaran, South Poblacion, Tabionan and Tañañas attended the morning session; while 81 from Bugho, Cabatbatan, Ilaya, Tinubdan, Tonggo and Tubod came in the afternoon. ♦

Department: Human Resources & Administration

Designation: Division Manager

Hobby/Sports: Singing, dancing, reading

Tañañas women study goat raising

Solid Earth Development Corp. (SEDC) today started to prepare a hinterland community in raising goats for livelihood.

It organized on Feb. 26, 2025 a training workshop for 38 members of KALIPI Women’s Association, introducing them to goat farming and providing them first the skills they needed to learn, including farm economics.

Zeny T. Cabusas, SEDC community relations coordinator, reported that the training had a valuable resource person in no less than the municipal agriculturist, Nelson Soronio.

His staff at Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO), Lanie

Amante and Antonina Paradero, assisted him at the Tañañas Barangay Session Hall in facilitating the workshop that covered the following topics:

• Types of Goats Breeds

• Goat Housing

• Goat Feeds and Feeding

• Common Goat Diseases

• Kidding and Breeding Management

The MAO team also coached the participants to avail of and maximize its existing programs, noted Mitzie Almira I. Carin, SEDC division manager for human resource and administration.

These include insurance, vaccination and distribution of vegetable seeds. ♦

World Water Day. Some 78 employees of Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. earth minerals supplier Solid Earth Development Corp. and five of its contractors clear the coast of South Población with indiscriminate trash and harmful debris during the global observance of World Water Day on March 22, 2025. The contractors included FA Manpower, San Fernando Integrated Services and Equipment Corp., Geo-Transport & Construction, Inc., Hammerhead Builders and Development Corp. and NVH Engineering and Services. ♦

REMARKABLE PROJECT NuStar Resort & Casino

Stylized as NUSTAR, it is a 9-hectare (22acre) integrated resort and casino facility on Kawit Point at South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City. The site used to be Kawit Island before SRP started as a reclamation project in the mid 1990’s.

The project is a joint venture of Universal Hotels and Resorts, Inc., an affiliate of John Gokongwei (JG) Summit Holdings, commonly known as the Robinsons Group, with the Cebu City Government.

It opened partially in 2022 with a casino, two hotels, a convention center, a mall,

different restaurants and bars, a theater, and a park, with a third hotel coming soon.

NUSTAR has grown to be known as Cebu’s premier, 5-star integrated resort, which redefines luxury with world-class gaming, entertainment, events, exclusive

NUSTAR continues to be exclusively constructed with Taiheiyo Portland Cement, and with other cement types that are manufactured by Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. in San Fernando, Cebu. ♦ • Image taken from

shopping and dining offerings.

Robinson’s Land Corporation, the real estate arm of JG Summit, developed the project. Monocrete Construction Phils., Inc., a firm that has a proven track record of large scale developments and innovative

constructions, built it as planned.