The limited response to the untimely passing of the former CEO of Manila Water Company and Globe Telecom, electrical engineer Filemon “Jun” Berba Jr., on April 4 is illustrative of how Filipino engineers are undervalued in our society. 

Filipino engineers are not appreciated as much as lawyers are. Consider how much attention is given every year to those who top the Bar exams and the law schools that do well. 

There’s actually only one engineer – Gregorio Zara – out of the 42 Filipino national scientists. The US-educated mechanical and aeronautical engineer is credited for inventing the the first “two-way television telephone,” which has evolved into today’s videoconferencing. 

But it’s time that we give a bigger weight to the work put in by engineers in our society. Excluding informal houses, no residence in the Philippines can be built without a civil and structural engineer signing off on the permits. 

Our most beloved Philippine companies are being run or led by engineers. 

Tony Tan Caktiong, founder and chairman of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), is a chemical engineer. He graduated from the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in 1975. Under his leadership, JFC grew into a Philippine multinational company and is aiming to be one of the top 5 restaurants in the world.

In his speech when UST conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in 2018, Caktiong said his engineering education helped him create Chicken Joy, Jolly Spaghetti, and Regular Yum with Cheese. 

“Engineering nurtured my natural curiosity and helped develop my analytical skills,” he said.

Ramon Ang, president and CEO of the Philippines’ largest diversified conglomerate, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), is a mechanical engineer. He got his Bachelor of Science degree from the Far Eastern University in 1978. Under his leadership, San Miguel is investing billions into much-needed infrastructure, such as a new international airport in Bulacan, the MRT-7 railway, and a number of power projects. SMC is even cleaning up the heavily polluted Pasig River and Tullahan River.

Engineer FVR

The Philippines’ best years post-1986 have been during the leadership of the late President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR), a civil and military engineer. 

He held a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, and passed the civil engineering board in 1953, finishing in the top 8. Part of his high school was spent at the Mapua Institute of Technology during the war. 

The engineering mind is said to focus on systematic problem-solving (Ramos was known for demanding Complete Staff Work or CSW for better decision-making), and in using science and math to solve problems. Engineers also work effectively in teams, and learn from failures to improve designs. 

Recall that during the FVR years, his buzzwords were Philippines 2000 or Philippines Inc., “Kaya natin ‘to!” (We can do this!); Unity Solidarity and Teamwork in nation-building; and the “bibingka” (native rice cake) cooking principle (fire from government from above and fire from private sector and civil society from below produces best outcome). 

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Ironically, the biggest gains in the peace process, especially with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), military rebels, and even the communist rebels, were when a ex-soldier-engineer was our president. 

Ramos stressed that we’re all in the same boat, and if that vessel is going to move faster, every citizen should be in unison with the others. 

He also saw the problems caused by monopolies, and moved to break some of them up, including in telecommunications. 

Wonder of the World

Perhaps, Filipino engineers would be better appreciated if more people are made aware that the Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras, more popularly known as the Banaue Rice Terraces, was the result of ancient agricultural engineering. 

Inscribed as a world heritage in 1995, it is described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a “living cultural landscape of unparalleled beauty” and a “priceless contribution to humanity.” 

“Reaching a higher altitude and being built on steeper slopes than many other terraces, the Ifugao complex of stone or mud walls and the careful carving of the natural contours of hills and mountains to make terraced pond fields, coupled with the development of intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the mountain tops, and an elaborate farming system, reflect a mastery of engineering that is appreciated to the present,” the UNESCO says (italics mine).

Other notable engineers

Another notable Filipino engineer is Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, known as the “Bill Gates of the Philippines,” for creating some of the chips found in every personal computer today. He graduated magna cum laude in electrical engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology.  

There’s also Edgar Saavedra, founder and CEO of infrastructure conglomerate, Megawide Construction Corporation. His company is behind the world-class Mactan-Cebu International Airport. 

Saavedra is a civil engineer, and his vision is to see a “First-World Philippines” using his company’s engineering and construction know-how in major infrastructure projects. He got his Bachelor’s degree in engineering from De La Salle University. Aside from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, his company also built the modern Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, the new Passenger Terminal Building of the Clark International Airport, and the Carbon Public Market in Cebu.

There’s also David Consunji and son Sid Consunji, DMCI), the engineers behind DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI), builder of cultural landmarks such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Folk Arts Theater, and Manila Hotel. 

The elder Consunji plus four other engineers built the Leandro-Locsin-designed Parish of the Holy Sacrifice or UP Chapel, the country’s first circular chapel, in 1955. At that time, a circular structure had not yet been done in the Philippines. The parish was declared a National Historical Landmark and Cultural Treasure in December 2005.

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So, whether you’re eating your favorite Jollibee Chicken Joy, drinking your San Mig, marveling at the Ifugao rice terraces, experiencing a show at the CCP, or videoconferencing, don’t forget there was Philippine engineering behind these things. – Rappler.com