MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s infrastructure overhaul is expected to drive demand for cement and create a “multiplier effect” in the construction sector, an official of cement-maker Cemex said Thursday.

As the government builds more roads, bridges, railways and airports, the private sector will match this with new houses and commercial spaces, said Cemex Holdings vice president for investor relations Paul Arcenas.

“We continue to remain optimistic about the infrastructure program, as the government creates this multiplier effect owing to public construction,” Arcenas told ANC’s “Market Edge with Cathy Yang.”

Cemex Holdings told the stock exchange on Thursday that its unit, APO Cement Corp, partnered with China’s Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd to build and operate a waste-heat-to-energy facility in APO’s Naga, Cebu compound.

Arcenas said the government’s recent decision to lift a moratorium on mining for limestone and other non-metallic substances would help Cemex’s business.

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