The Philippines cement industry posted a 9.6 per cent year-on-year growth in sales in 2014, according to the Cement Manufacturers? Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) President Ernesto M Ordo?ez. He said that local market sales reached 21.3 mt in 2014, compared to 19.4 mt in 2013. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2014 jumped by 15.7 per cent to 5.2 mt, up from 4.5 mt in 2013. The increase in sales of cement producers was supported by the continuous growth of construction projects. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that construction activities in January-September 2014 amounted to $6.17 billion, 39 per cent higher than the $4.45 billion in the same period of 2013. Non-residential projects had the largest amount of construction projects at $3.25 billion in the first nine months
of 2014.