During Thursday’s National Presentation, Mrs. Maria Theresa Dumrique Abuel, president of The Philippines Association of Paint Manufacturer (PAPM), Inc., presented, “The Influence of Raw Materials from China on the Philippines Paint Industry.” Mrs. Maria Theresa said the Philippine coatings market is largely independent and for the most part domestic. Consequently, major players are mainly local. Due to the uniqueness of the market demands, multinational players find it difficult to stay in the game, much less participate as a new entrant. She said the three main related industries—paint, ink and adhesives—are very well organized and are individually represented by specialized industry associations.

Mrs. Maria Theresa presentated market volumes and industry specializations as well as technical and commercial demands. On the other hand, due to limited petrochemical expertise, Mrs. Abuel said chemical process industries in the Philippines such as the paint industry, rely heavily on imported raw materials. This makes China one of the most important sources of upstream merchandise.

Mrs. Maria Theresa is currently the president of PAPM, a privately-owned, non-stock, non-profit, non-sectarian and non-political organization which is composed of 70 member-companies who are engaged in manufacturing or sales and distribution of paint or paint-related raw materials. Mrs. Maria Theresa is also the vice-president for manufacturing and operations of ADD Research Paints and Chemicals, Inc., a PAPM member company, which manufactures architectural paints, varnishes and industrial paints for various industries in the Philippines.