ALEMAR S.

MALINTAD BSCE-V

they constructed a stone church that was

financed by the public charity and became
one of richest in Intramuros.

THE HISTORY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

(AND ITS PROFESSION) IN THE
PHILIPPINES

1586

History (Development) of Civil Engineering

(and its Profession) in the Philippines
(Highlights/Milestones of the events)

Designed and built by Jesuit priest

Antonio Sedeno from 1586 to 1587, it is one
of the oldest stone fortifications in
Intramuros. Began as a circular fort called
Nuestra Senora de Guia. Renovated in 1593

Researched/Compiled By: Dindo Mojica, C.E.,

M.Eng, 3
Note: currently updating
THE MILESTONES
DURING SPANISH TIME
The history of the architecture and
civil engineering profession in the Philippines
were almost synonymous to each other. In
more than three-and-a-half centuries of
Spanish subjugation, there were no Filipino
civil engineers. Social prejudice constrained
the repressed indio builders to content
themselves to be called mere Maestro de
Obras (Master Builders) even if they could
design and build any type of structure that
technology could allow at that time. Master
Builders as of today were equivalent to
Construction Foreman. Civil Engineering, as
practiced in the Philippines during the
Spanish era, was not by virtue of an
academic title. There were no civil
engineering schools in the country at that
time and the only architects/engineers with
academic degrees were Spaniards. The
walled city in Intramuros was established by
the Spaniards as a model community. The
Friar Architects/Engineers during that time
were the ones who built the government
buildings, bridges, residential and other
structures, incorporated European standards
in engineering and architectural installations.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Filipino
engineers were assigned the task of
maintaining, repairing and/or remodelling
infrastructure systems in all pueblos or
towns including churches, convents and
government buildings. Maestro de Obras
were called by the Ilustrados or the elite
group to build structures in villas and
mansions.
1571
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi founded the
City of Manila on June 24, 1571 The
Spaniards started building Fort Santiago
(Fuerte de Santiago) after the establishment
of the city of Manila under Spanish rule on
June 24, 1571.
1577
With the arrival of the Franciscan
Order to Manila in 1577, they began with
construction of wood and cane churches that
succumbed to natural catastrophes. In 1739

to join the walls of the city. Fort fell in

disrepair and, in 1644, construction began
for a new baluarte which was completed
between 1653 and 1663. Resembling an ace
of spades, it housed a foundry during the
18th century. The baluarte was breached by
British forces with cannon fire in 1762.
Restored and strengthened after the British
occupation but was damaged during the
1863 earthquake. It was destroyed during
the Battler of Manila in 1945. Restoration
began in 1979 and completed in 1992.
1591 1631
Construction work for the Santiago
castle/fortress was commenced in 1591 and
was completed in 1634. This was the work of
Leonardo Iturrino, and was the second most
important fortress to be built of stone in
Manila, the Nuestra Seora de Gua fortress
being the first of these.
1596 - 1602
The Santiago fortress was built
between 1596 and 1602 on the land
promontory between the sea and the Pasig
River, and was the most important
fortification built in Manila. The walls
encircling the city started at this point.
1599
St. Augustine Church is the oldest
stone church in the Philippines. It was built in
1599; however, it was also destroyed and
rebuilt many times. It is an immense
structure of thick walls of Corinthian and
Ionic designs.
1621
In 1621, Don Bernardino Castillo, a
generous patron and a well-known devotee
of St. Sebastian, Patron of Archers, donated
his lot, which is now the present site of the
San Sebastian Church. The original church,
which was made of wood, was burned in
1651 during a Chinese uprising. The
succeeding structures were destroyed twice
by fire and an earthquake in 1859, 1863, and
1880 respectively. Father Esteban Martinez,
the parish priest at that time, approached
the Spanish Architect Genero Palacios with a
plan to build a fire and earthquake-resistant
church made entirely of steel. Ambeth
Ocampo states that the present San

Sebastian church was ordered knockdown in

steel parts from the Societe Anonyme des
Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels,
Belgium. Two Belgian engineers supervised
the construction of the church. On June 12,
1888, the first shipments of steel parts were
brought to the Philippines. For two years, the
church was assembled with local artists and
craftsmen joining the Belgian firm in applying
the final finishing touches on this new church
of steel. The stained glass windows were
imported from the Henri Oidtmann Company,
a German stained glass firm. The
engineering technique used in the
construction of the church, including metal
fixtures and the overall structure, were from
Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower.
This was confirmed when Chinese-American
architect, I. M. Pei, visited the Philippines in
the late 70s. He came to confirm what he
heard about Gustave Eiffel designing a steel
church in Asia.
1632
Puente Grande was the first bridge to
be erected across the grand Rio del Pasig.
Built in 1632, this wooden bridge connects
Intramuros and Binondo together, making it
easier and relatively faster to travel from one
end to the other. It underwent several
reconstructions and renovations as it was
always heavily damaged by earthquakes.
After the 1863 earthquake, Puente Grande
was renamed to Puente de Espaa. The
bridge was replaced in 1875 widening its
spans to masonry of six and two central
houses. It can accommodate both
pedestrians and vehicles including horse or
carabao drawn carts and carriages, and
tranvia. This bridge was replaced for the last
time with a neo-classical design by Juan
Arellano in the 1930s, and was called the
Jones Bridge.
1645
Manila was hit by an earthquake and was
reconstructed
1686
Irrigation and Water System
The first artesian wells were built in
Betis, Pampanga by Fr. Manuel Camanes. The
water system in Manila (now MWSS) had its
beginning from the water works constructed
by Fr. Juan Peguero in 1686. The first
irrigation system was constructed in Tanay,
Rizal by Fr. Jose Delgado.
(17th Century)
Cavite Friar Land Irrigation System is
one of the oldest irrigation systems in the
Philippines. Sometimes in the 17th century,
the Spanish period encomiendas or Spanish
Royal lands grants were implemented in
Cavite. The priests were granted by the
Spanish King, portions of the agricultural
land in Cavite. They subdivided the lands in

to four estates namely: Naic Estate, Santa

Cruz de Malabon (Tanza) Estate, San
Francisco de Malabon (General Trias) Estate
and Imus Estate, all of which are now
popularly called as Cavite Friar Lands.
1846
The Pasig River Light House was the
first lighthouse (masonry-built) erected in the
Philippines. It was first lighted on 1846 and
deactivated on 1992. It was then located on
the north jetty at the mouth of Pasig River,
(San Nicolas, Manila) marking the entrance
to the river for vessels around Manila Bay,
looking to dock on the ports along the banks
of the river in Manila. A light station has been
established on the site since 1642. The first
lighthouse structure was erected by the
ruling Spanish government and lit on
September 1, 1846. From its location at the
mouth of the historic river, which divides
Manila into two sections, it was a welcoming
beacon for over a century to all mariners of
inter-island vessels when bringing their
vessels up into the river for berthing along
its busy wharves. The lighthouse, which was
known locally as Farola (Spanish for
"lighthouse") was one of the most
conspicuous landmarks in the harbor of
Manila in the early part of the 20th century.
The building and later expansion of the Port
of Manila, south of the light station and
subsequent land reclamations, has greatly
altered the location of the lighthouse
obscuring it from the wide expanse of Manila
Bay. The lighthouse was demolished in 1992
and was replaced with an architecturally
simpler lighthouse with the new tower built
on the foundation of the old one. The
Philippine Coast Guard Station of Manila is
located adjacent to the lighthouse and the
community that developed from the
reclaimed lands is now known as "Parola"
(Filipino for "lighthouse"). The present tower
is a white conical concrete structure with a
height of 46 feet (14.02 m) and a focal plane
of 43 feet (13.11 m). The old tower was taller
at 49 feet (14.94 m). Lighthouses in the
Philippines are maintained by the Philippine
Coast Guard.
1852
Puente Colgante (which is the term for
a suspension bridge in Spanish; literally,
hanging bridge) was the first suspension
bridge built in Southeast Asia when it was
started in 1849 and completed in 1852. It
was built and owned by Ynchausti y
Compaia, the business headed by Jose
Joaquin de Ynchausti. He commissioned the
design from Basque engineer Matias
Menchacatorre. The bridge was first named
Puente de Claveria, likely in honor of the
Governor-General of the Philippines Narciso
Clavera, who served from 1844-1849.
Puente Colgante was the first suspension
bridge, not only the Philippines but in South
East Asia as well, and, probably the first toll

bridge of its kind in the Philippines, a

precursor of the modern Sky Way, albeit for
pedestrian use only. The suspension bridge
measured 110 metres (360 ft) long and 7
metres (23 ft) wide, and had two lanes that
allowed passage of horses and carabaodrawn carriages. It was also opened for
pedestrians traveling on foot between
Quiapo and Intramuros and nearby areas. In
1854 Ynchausti brought together the
Ynchausti family holdings under the above
name. A Basque Spaniard born in Cadiz, de
Ynchausti immigrated to the Philippines in
the second quarter of the nineteenth century
and built a business empire. In 1889
Ynchausti y Compaia was the largest
company in the Philippines. The 20th-century
writer Nick Joaquin described the bridge as it
was in the 1870s: Across the citys river now
arched the amazing Puente Colgante,
suspended in the air, like a salute to the age
of science and engineering. The Industrial
Age found its expression in the Philippines in
the form of a bridge unparalleled throughout
Asia. Historians dispute local traditions that
say the bridge was designed by Gustave
Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
(This is also asserted about the Puente de
Ayala.) They note the original bridge has
been documented as designed by a Basque.
(In addition, the 1930s work was performed a
decade after Eiffel died in 1923.)
1867
The project for public supply of fresh
water to the city dates from the early 18th
century. Before this, the city had to be
content with a fresh water supply based on
cisterns. In 1867, the town council decides to
take on the challenge of a project to supply
fresh water to the whole of the city. In 1882
the first public water fountain gushed forth
its waters, and shortly after this, the
technology of the times was successful in
providing Manila with a fresh water supply
from sources up-river.

1868
It was in 1868 when the Bureau of
Public Works and Highways (Obras Publicas)
and Bureau of Communications and
Transportation (Communicationes y
Meteologia) were organized under a civil
engineer known as Director General.
1878-1918
The founding of Carriedo Waterworks
Manila didnt get running water until
1878, when the municipal waterworks was
established by Governor Domingo Moriones,
with money from a fund that by then had
become legendary as the Carriedo Legacy. A
public-spirited citizen, Don Francisco
Carriedo y Peredo was a Basque from
Santander who during his life conferred

immense benefits on the Philippines, having

migrated in the Philippines early in the 18th
century. One of his obras pias (pious
works), was a legacy he left in his will for the
building of a Manila water system. Though
Seor Carriedo did not live long enough to
see his legacy since he died in 1743, Manila
was to be without running water for more
than a century longer. Thanks to Governor
Moriones who acted on providing Manila with
running water that the Carriedo Legacy was
finally fulfilled.
1875
On June 25, 1875, King ALFONSO XII of
Spain promulgates the Royal Decree
directing the Office of the Inspector of Public
Works of the Philippines to submit a general
plan of railroad in Luzon
1876
The General Plan for Railways was
drawn up in 1876 for the island of Luzon, and
included a network totalling 1,730
kilometers. A 192 Km stretch of track was
constructed between Manila and Dagupan.
This operated a regular service as from 1892.
The most outstanding works carried out on
the railway system were the bridge over the
great Pampanga River and the building of
Tutubn Station, in the Tondo district. The
tremendous growth of the city of Manila led
the administration to contemplate, in 1878,
the setting up of a public transport network.
Five tramway lines would link the city with its
outskirts.
1878
The concession for constructing five
tramways in Manila and its suburbs was
approved. The plan included a main station
at San Gabriel and the crossing of the river
via the "Puente de Espaa"
1880
School for Maestro de Obras called
Escuela Practica y Artes Oficios de Manila
was founded. Its first Filipino graduates were
Julio Hernandez (1891), Isidro Medina (1894),
Arcadio Arellano (1894) and Juan Carreon
(1896) Puente de Convalecencia or better
known as the Ayala Bridge was completed in
1880. Originally it is composed of two
separate spans connected by the Isla de
Convalecencia, which is home to Hospisio de
San Jose, dropping point for abandoned
babies, the bridge over this island was
originally made of wooden arched trusses.
1883
On November 1, 1883, the study of
the first railroad project between Manila and
Dagupan done by Antonio dela Camara was
appoved
1887

On July 31, 1887, construction of the ManilaDagupan railroad was started

1892
On November 24, 1892, the entire line
from Manila to Dagupan, with a total length
of 195.4 kms, was completed and put into
commercial operations
18th and 19th CENTURY
Road work in the Philippine Islands
during the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, under the Spanish regime,
consisted in the opening of routes of
communication throughout the Islands, in a
very thorough manner, and leaving a very
valuable asset to the present Government in
the matter of the width of right of way, which
was incorporated into the law and became a
part of the public domain. The location of
these routes has been justified, inasmuch,
that few changes have been made in the
general alignment, except when new
sections have opened up and a change in
location justified. Grades have been
improved and method of construction
changed. The right of way, as established by
law, has made possible the construction
methods of to-day. The use of broken stone
or gravel on road work seems not to have
been practiced by the Spaniard, as little
evidence is found to promulgate this belief.
Two types of construction under Spanish
regime were practiced: First, pavement of cut
Spanish road. Cut adobe stone pavement.
Stone. This was usually of the adobe quality,
probably used because it is easily quarried,
cut, and handled, the size used called
''ordinario" 20 by 20 centimeters and 50
centimeters long. This makes a very smooth
and pretty pavement, but, where an ordinary
amount of traffic is encountered, wears very
rapidly. Had a hard stone been used, the
result would have been of a permanent
nature. Second, Spanish road, rubble-stone
pavement. cobblestones. The pavement of
cobblestone consisted of boulders probably
taken from river beds varying in size from 10
to 30 centimeters in diameter. This type was
very durable and lasting, so long as the
individual stones retained their position in a
bed of earth. Owing to the size used there
was no bond, and stones were easily
displaced, unless covered with earth, sand,
or gravel. This pavement was very rough
and, had a second or top course of small
gravel been used and bound together with a
binding material, would have been in use today. Attention is often called to the good
roads that existed during the Spanish
regime.
FIRST PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC
(AGUINALDO)
1898
The Organic Decree issued by Gen.
Emilio Aquinaldo establishing the Philippine

Revolutionary Government created four (4)

government departments among which was
the Department of War and Public Works. In
1896, after four (4) centuries of Spanish
colonization, our Filipino forebears started
the revolutionary movement and the
struggle to gain freedom began. On June 12,
1898, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo declared the
Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite.
The Organic Decree of the Philippine
Revolutionary Government on June 23, 1898
issued by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo provided for
the creation of four (4) Departments in the
government, one of which was the
DEPARTMENT OF WAR AND PUBLIC WORKS.
Though once included in the Department of
War, now Department of National Defense,
its functions as builder and maintainer of
roads, bridges and other public works
structures are inherent in the present
Department. The inclusion of public works in
the War and Department can be explained by
the exigencies of the revolutionary period.
The construction of fortifications and
trenches was needed in the cause for
freedom which our heroes had fought for.
When Spain ceded the Philippines to the
United States in 1898, the public works and
activities were placed under the U.S. Army
engineers.
1899
The Malolos Constitution was ratified
during a general assembly of Congress, and
the first Council of Government of the First
Philippine Republic was created. From
January 21, 1899 to May 7, 1899, with
Apolinario Mabini as President of the Cabinet
(i.e. Prime Minister), Gracio Gonzaga served
as the Secretary of Public Welfare, which
included the transportation and
communications portfolio. When Mabini was
replaced by Pedro Paterno as President of the
Cabinet, among the seven departments set
up was the Communicaciones y Obras
Publicas (i.e. the Communications and Public
Works Department). Maximo Paterno was
appointed as Secretary of Public Works and
Communications. Since then, Public Works,
Transportation, and Communications have
been grouped into one department.
DURING AMERICAN REGIME
The coming of the Americans brought about
drastic changes in our engineering culture.
The new colonizers pursued benevolent
policies that focused on English education,
public health, free enterprise, and
representative governance thus bringing with
them were military engineers, Thomasite
teachers, doctors and evangelist. Under the
civil government established in July, 1901,
such assimilation manifested itself
physically in the form of infrastructures.
Highways, bridges, schools, hospitals, and
government buildings steadily transformed
the Philippine landscape.

1899
In his letter dated January 4, 1899 to
Filipinos, US Major-General Elwell S. Otis, the
Military Governor of the Philippines,
announced US President William McKinleys
instructions for the islands Benevolent
Assimilation. The instructions stated that the
management of public property and revenue,
and the use of all public means of
transportation, were to be conducted by the
military authorities (i.e. by the US Army) until
such time that they would be transferred
back to civilian authority. Thus, the Bureau of
Engineering was placed under the
supervision of American military engineers.
The ports were opened to commerce for all
foreign nations.
1900
Foundation of the Liceo de Manila, a
private institution offering academic course
for maestro de obras and headed by Leon
Ma. Guerrero. The first private school to offer
an academic title for Maestro de Obras. (the
forerunner of formal education in
architecture/engineering) The introduction of
reinforced concrete in the Philippines was in
the 1900s and its use in the construction of
the Masonic Temple (Grand Lodge of the
Philippines), the first multi-structure in
Escolta, Manila. On April 20, 1900, the US
military authorities returned the railroad to
its owner
Early 1900s
Transportation in the Philippines was
depended largely on trails, waterways,
railroad, earth roads and partially-gravelled
roads. Highway in the Philippines at that time
is nothing more than a dream to most
Filipinos. The US government initiated the
development of roadways in the Philippines
connecting towns, cities and provinces. The
popular Macadam road type was introduced.
It gained acceptance because of abundant
supply of stones and gravel.
1901
By virtue of Act No. 83 passed by the
Philippine Commission on February 6, 1901,
public works and projects were placed under
the Provincial Supervisions. The 1901
municipal code (February 6, 1901) provided
for popularly elected municipal board
members who were responsible for collecting
taxes, maintaining municipal properties, and
undertaking necessary construction projects.
1902
The first professional association of
architecture and surveyors was born on
September 14, 1902 with the creation of the
Academia de Arquitectura y Agrimensura de
Filipinas (AAAF). Bureau of Engineering and
Construction of Public Works and Bureau of
Architecture and Construction of Public
Buildings - were created by Act. Numbers

222 and 268 of the Philippine Commission

and placed under The Department of
Commerce and Police The Philippine
Commission passed Act Nos. 222 and 268
creating the Department of Commerce and
Police which gave birth to the Bureau of
Engineering and Construction of public works
and the Bureau of Architecture and
Construction of public buildings. The
Philippine Bill of 1902 (July 1, 1902) or the
Philippine Organic Act authorized the
Government of the Philippine Islands to
provide for the needs of commerce. This
includes improving harbours, constructing
maintaining bonded warehouses, wharves,
piers, light-houses, signal and life-saving
stations, buoys, and like instruments of
commerce, as well as to adopt and enforce
regulations. (The US Congress authorizes the
Philippine Government to grant franchise and
concession for the construction of public
utilities and services) On December 8, 1902,
the first Railroad Legislation Act (Philippine
Commission Act No. 554) was passed
granting the Manila Railroad Company
(MRRCo) the right to construct branch lines
1903
AAFF changed the name of association
to Academia de Arquitectura, Ingeniera y
Agrimensura de Filipinas (AIAAF) including
civil engineers and surveyors But everything
was confused and disorganized under our
tolerant new masters. Even in government, it
took several years before the Philippine
commission could buckle down to work and
create the first Philippine assembly.
1904
The above-mentioned Academia
merged with the Liceo and established the
Escuela de Ingeniera y Arquitectura, which
offered a five-year course in architecture and
civil engineering.
1905
The Escuela ceased to operate after its
first year of inception. The Bureau of Public
Works was created and placed under
Department of Commerce and Police on
October 26, 1905 Act No. 1401 of the
Philippine Commission passed on October 4,
1905, abolished engineering districts and
positions of district engineers. On October
26 of the same year, however, by virtue of a
Reorganization Act, the Bureau of Public
Works was created and placed under the
Department of Commerce and Police. Along
with the economic growth of the country was
the need for a more extensive road network
that would penetrate the rural areas. In
order to achieve that end, provincial boards
were created in 1907 with authority to collect
double cedula taxes to finance the
construction of provincial roads and bridges.
In addition, the national government
appropriated P1,700,000 as aid to such
constructions.

1906
On July 7, 1906, Philippine Commission
Act No. 1510 was enacted giving the
concession of the railway to Speyer and Co.
with Mr. Horace Higgins as General Manager
1907
The Faculty of Engineering of the
University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the oldest
engineering school in the Philippines. It was
established on May 18, 1907, as School of
Civil Engineering with one program offering
leading to the degree of Master of Science in
Civil Engineering (MSCE). From faculty
records, it appears that it was only in 1912
when the earliest batch of students was
conferred their MSCE degrees. Don Ramon
Irureta-Goyena headed the UST-COE. During
the early years of U.S. occupation, most of
the civil engineers in our country came from
America. The College was patterned after the
University of Havana in Cuba and was first
set up at the second floor of the old UST
building in Intramuros.
1908
The above-named Escuela was
reorganized and reopened its doors to
students but this time offered a three-year
course for architecture, civil engineering and
electrical engineering.
1909
Wawa Dam (also known as Montalban
Dam) is a gravity dam constructed over the
Marikina River in the municipality of
Rodriguez in Rizal province, Philippines. The
slightly arched dam is situated in the 360metre (1,180 ft) high Montalban Gorge or
Wawa Gorge, a water gap in the Sierra Madre
Mountains, and east of Manila. It was built in
1909 during the American colonial era to
provide the water needs for Metro Manila. It
used to be the only source of water for
Manila until Angat Dam was built and Wawa
was abandoned. Due to insufficiency of water
supply for Metro Manila, there was a strong
clamor to reuse the dam.
1910
The Board of Regents of the University
of the Philippines, in a resolution passed on
June 3, 1910, appointed Mr. W.J. Colbert as
acting Dean of the College of Engineering.
His appointment was set to effect on June 13,
1910 thereby creating the College of
Engineering. Dean Colbert was authorized to
prepare the curriculum and select the
necessary teaching personnel for the new
course. Initially, a four-year course leading to
the degree of Bachelor of Science with an
additional degree of Civil Engineer upon
completion of an extra year of study was
approved. The first instructor to be appointed
was Mr. Jose P. Katigbak of the City
Engineers Office of Manila, as instructor in
graphics (drawing) on a part-time basis. The

first appearance of motor vehicles in the

Philippine highways in 1910. Roads and
bridges had to be kept in good condition at
all times. Naturally, there was a need for
funds to keep the roads passable the whole
year round.
1911
In 1911, the AIAAF was dissolved when
the civil engineers (and other engineering
profession) withdrew to form their own
professional organization (The Philippine
Society of Engineers), but not before it has
struggled for the passage of an Engineers
and Architects Law.
1912
The Escuela was closed.
The Irrigation Act of 1912: Under the
American regime, the government initiated
policies to stimulate national economic
growth through irrigation development. The
Irrigation Division under the Bureau of Public
Works (BPW) was established in 1908 (the
friar lands were sold to govt. which in turn
were sold to the tenants in 1902). The
Irrigation Act was passed in 1912. This
regulated the appropriation of public waters,
investigation, construction, operation and
maintenance of irrigation systems. It also
regulated the appropriation of public waters,
prescribed rules on water rights and provided
for the securing of payments for irrigation
services, from the beneficiaries.

1913
The first NIS, the San Miguel River
Irrigation System in Tarlac with a service area
of 6000 hectares was inaugurated in 1913.
During World War I, all appropriations for
irrigation was withdrawn and the Irrigation
Division was downgraded to a section in the
Design Division of the BPW. Through
legislative Act No. 2562, financial assistance
was given to existing private irrigation
systems covering a minimum of 25 ha,
through duly organized corporations or
associations of landowners.
1914
Communal irrigation systems (CIS)
were simple structures. The earliest on
record is as far back as 1914, mostly located
in the Ilocos area of northern Philippines and
known as the zanjera. The term zanjera is
derived from the Spanish term for turnout
and used locally to refer to a co-operative
irrigation society the function of which was to
secure a stable and reliable supply of water
for its members. Most zanjeras may have
two or more sittios or barrios. Membership
may comprise of all land owner or tenants or
a combination of both. Water from these
systems were usually obtained from river
diversions by bamboo and rock structures-

the "brush dam." Being temporary

structures, the community was brought
together in its reconstruction on a regular
basis. Different zanjeras may share a single
main or diversion dam. In this case,
necessary social adaptations were made to
settle conflicts between individuals or
groups. The construction, repair and
maintenance costs of the physical system
were shared by all the members through
contributions in materials or labor.
1916
On February 4, 1916, By authority of
Philippine Legislature Act No. 2574, former
Governor General Harrison negotiates the
acquisition of the MRRCo by the Philippine
Government The Reorganization Act 2666 as
amended by Act No. 2803 dated November
18, 1916 gave birth to the Department of
Commerce and Communications
(Department of Commerce and Police
transformed to The Department of
Commerce and Communications), consisting
of the Bureau of Commerce and Industry,
Bureau of Supply, Bureau of Public Works,
Bureau of Posts, Bureau of Labor and Bureau
of Coast and Geodetic Survey. To raise such
needed funds, motor vehicles and drivers
plying the highways were required to register
with fee in 1921. To keep pace with further
development in transportation and
communications, the Department of
Commerce and Police was transformed into
the Department of Commerce and
Communications under Reorganization Act
No. 2666 of 1916.
18 January 1917 03 October 1922
When the first cabinet comprised of
Filipinos was organized, Gov. Gen. Francis. B.
Harrison appointed Cebu governor Dionisio
Jakosalem as Secretary of Commerce and
Communication. The construction of roads
and public buildings marked his
administration as governor of Cebu. He is
credited with having linked the southern and
northern parts of the province with roads.
1919 1954
Metropolitan Water District was founded
1921
The Engineers and Architects Law (Act
No. 2985) passed on February 23, 1921. The
law created separate Board of Examiners for
civil engineering and architecture. They were
schooled abroad as civil engineers and
architects. Due to the Engineers and
Architects Law of 1921, Filipinos were
allowed to practice as Architects and
Engineers because of their experience as
Maestro de Obras in the Spanish Period.
Public Act No. 2985 was enacted
empowering the Secretary of Commerce and
Communication to appoint members of the
boards of the architecture and engineering

professions. The Act, which contained very

general provisions on the regulation of
engineering and architecture, was later
amended by Acts No. 3159 and 3182.
1928
A group of civil engineers from the
government sector formed the Philippine
Society of Civil Engineers (PSCE) which was
the first civil engineering organization in the
Philippines with Engr. Marcial Kasilag as its
first president. Engr. Kasilag thereupon
received the honor of holding PRC
Registration Number 1 for Civil Engineers. He
then occupied a high-ranking position in the
government and the early members of PSCE
were government engineers. There were
relatively few civil engineers in private
practice during that time as most of the early
graduates were readily engaged by the
various government agencies.
1930s
Puente Colgante Bridge was replaced by a
modern steel arch bridge during early
1930s. It was renamed Quezon Bridge after
Manuel L. Quezon, the president of the
Philippines at that time.
1931
Department of Commerce and
Communications renamed as the
Department of Public Works and
Communications More development for the
Department took place in 1931 when the
Philippine Legislature passed on May 1 of
that year Act No. 4007, renaming the
Department of Commerce and
Communications as Department of Public
Works and Communications. This Act,
however, did not state the proper
composition and functions of the DPWC.
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT
1935
On August 2, 1935, Act Number 4211
was enacted permitting under-aged
persons to take the board exam on condition
that they will not practice their profession
until they attained the required age of 21.
During the inauguration of the
Commonwealth Government on November
15, 1935, a reorganization of the DPWC was
undertaken. Under the set up, it was
composed of the Bureau of Public Works,
Ports, Aeronautics, Coast and Geodetic
Survey, Metropolitan Water District Division
of Marine, Railway and Repair Shop, National
Radio Broadcasting, Irrigation Council and
Board of Examiners for Civil, Mechanical,
Chemical and Mining Engineers.
1937
The Philippine Association of Civil
Engineers (PACE) was formed from a group of
civil engineers in the private sector with
Engr. Enrique Sto. Tomas Cortes as its first

president. The objectives of both

organizations were similar with each other in
which both of them wants to: "elevate the
standards of the profession, encourage
research and engineering knowledge and
technology, foster fellowship among
members, and promote interrelation with
other technological and scientific societies".
The PACE being the most active than the
PSCE led to the transfer of many PSCE
members to PACE.
1938
In 1938, statutes for practice of
architecture from engineering separated by
law National Assembly Bill No. 1850 On
January 31, 1938, the first Bicol train was put
into operation On May 8, 1938, the unified
system of railroad from San Fernando, La
Union in the North to Legazpi in the South
was formally inaugurated
1940
Highway 54 was the former name of
the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).
Stretching some 54 kilometers, Highway 54
serves as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands
of Filipinos passing or doing business in
Metro Manila. It formed a major part of the
circumferential roads in Metro Manila. From
the south, it passes through five cities Pasay,
Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and
Caloocan. Its southern endpoint is at the
rotunda near the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay
City while its northern point is at Monumento
in Caloocan City near the Andres Bonifacio
monument. When the avenue was
constructed in 1940 by engineers led by
Florencio Moreno and Osmundo L. Monsod, it
was first named as North and South
Circumferential Road. But at the end of World
War II, the American occupiers changed the
name to Highway 54. But in 1959, by virtue
of Republic Act 2140, the highway was
renamed in honor of Epifanio de los Santos, a
famous statesman of the province of Rizal.
DURING JAPANESE OCCUPATION (WORLD
WAR II)
1941
The tides of war in the Pacific came in
December 1941 and thereby interrupted the
normal operations of the schools and
colleges. By order of the President of the
Philippines, all schools were closed. When
the Japanese forces entered Manila in
January 1942, they occupied the
College/School buildings. In 1941, outbreak
of World War II, the Department of Public
Works and Communications (DPWC) and
other government offices were practically
abolished due to dislocation of manpower,
lack of funds, materials and equipment,
installation of enemy administration and the
setting up of resistance movement.
24 December 1941 to 01 August 1944

During the Japanese occupation, the

exiled Commonwealth government of
President Manuel Quezon issued Executive
Order 396, which reorganized and grouped
the cabinet. The Department of Public Works
and Communication became the Department
of National Defense, Public Works,
Communications and Labor, with Basilio
Valdes as Secretary.
1942
On Philippine soil, to mitigate the
sufferings of the people under the iron-clad
rule of the Japanese, the Philippine Executive
Commission was established. Under
President Jose P. Laurels administration,
Quintin Paredes served as Minister of Public
Works and Communications. Caliraya Dam is
an embankment dam located in the town of
Lumban province of Laguna, in the Sierra
Madre Mountain Range of the Philippines.
The reservoir created by the dam, Lake
Caliraya, initially supplied one of the oldest
hydroelectric plants in the Philippines, and
later became a popular recreational area for
numerous water sports and fishing. The dam
construction was started in 1939 and a small
hydroelectric plant was operated in 1942.
CONTINUATION OF COMMONWEALTH
GOVERNMENT (AFTER THE WAR)
After the Second World War, the new
independent Philippine government
continued the rehabilitation and construction
of roads, bridges, buildings and other
infrastructures, through the reparations and
war damages paid by the Japanese
government. Other financial grants and aids
received from the US government were used
in the construction and rehabilitation of
roads, bridges, buildings and other
infrastructures.
1944
President Sergio Osmea issued
Executive Order 15-W on August 8, 1944
reorganizing and consolidating the Executive
Departments of the Commonwealth
government with Secretary Basilio Valdes as
Secretary of National Defense and
Communications.
1945
The reorganization of the government
after it was re-established on Philippine soil
was undertaken with Executive Order No. 27
on February 27. The Department of National
Defense and Communications was again
named Department of Public Works and
Communications.
08 March 1945-1946
Justice Sotero Cabahug replaced Secretary
Valdes as Secretary of Public Works and
Communications.
THIRD REPUBLIC

1946

1950

Resuming its operation in 1946, the

Department of Public Works and
Communications (DPWC) started with limited
human resources, funds, materials and
equipment. An office of the U.S. Bureau of
Public Roads was set up to cooperate with
the Philippine Bureau of Public Works in
implementing the highway program as
authorized by the Philippine Rehabilitation
Act of 1946.

On June 17, 1950, the Architects

(Philippine Institute of Architects) prepared
and lobbied the passing of the first
Architects law (RA 545) while the Civil
Engineers (Philippine Association of Civil
Engineers), the Civil Engineering law (RA
544, through the efforts of PACE President
Alberto Guevarra) was also passed the same
year. They jointly celebrated the passing of
their respective laws at the Manila Hotel
Winter Garden.

1946 1948
Ricardo Nepumoceno served as
Secretary of Public Works and
Communications under the administration of
President Manuel Roxas. He continued to do
so under the administration of President
Elpidio Quirino.
1947
The authority of the Department of
Public Works and Communications was
further expanded when, in 1947, the Motor
Vehicles Office was placed under its direct
supervision.

1948
The countrys premiere airport, Manila
International Airport Authority was originally
a US Air Force base until 1948, when it was
turned over to the Philippine governments
National Airport Corporation. The fledgling
civil aviation airports facilities were nothing
more than the current domestic runway and
a small building as its only passenger
terminal.
1949
Laws separating statutes between
architects and engineers passed 1950s The
momentum to rebuild from the ashes of
WWII and replace destroyed public edifices
and utilities made the 1950s an eventful
decade for the construction industry.
1950 1956
The Ambuklao dam was the highest
and biggest in the Far East. It is made of
earth and rockfull which measures 129
meters in height and 452 meters in length.
The elevation of its crest is 758 meters and
the roadway that runs through the top of the
dam has an elevation of 756 meters. There
are 8 Tainter radial gates at the dam's
spillway. Each spillway measures 12.5 meters
by 12.5 meters and is 127 meters in length.
The gross storage capacity of the dam's
reservoir is 327,170,000 cubic meters and it
has a usable storage capacity of
258,000,000 cubic meters. The drainage
area is 686 square kilometers and is 11 km
long with a maximum width of 1 km.
Construction began on July 1950 and opened
on December 23, 1956.

1951
Department of Public Works and
Communications (DPWC) was reconstituted
as The Department of Public Works,
Transportation and Communications (DPWTC)
President Elpidio Quirino under Executive
Order No. 392 in 1951, the DPWC was again
reconstituted to Department of Public Works,
Transportation and Communications (DPWTC)
to include the Bureaus of Public Works, Posts,
Telecommunications, Motor Vehicles Office,
Irrigation Council, Flood Control Commission,
Radio Control Board, National Transportation
Board and Government Quarters Committee.
Taking cognizance of the social impact of the
road network to national growth, the
Philippine Highway Act of 1953 or Republic
Act No. 917 providing for an effective
highway administration modified
apportionment of highway funds and gave
aid to provinces and cities for the
improvement and maintenance of roads and
bridges. In relation to road and bridge
construction and maintenance, the Bureau of
Public Highways was created in 1954 by
virtue of the Republic Act No. 1192 and
placed under the Department of Public
Works, Transportation and Communications.
This Act provided for a more effective
management of the Philippine Highways
under a Commissioner. Active plans &
programs were formulated & implemented.
With the abolition of National Airport
Corporation in 1951, ownership and
management of the airport fell to the Civil
Aeronautics Administration (CAA) under the
Department of Commerce & Industry. In
1956, the CAA was transferred to the
Department of Public Works, Transportation
& Communications.
1954
Bureau of Public Highways (BPH) was
created and placed under The Department of
Public Works, Transportation and
Communications (DPWTC) R.A. No. 1192, AN
ACT TO CREATE THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC
HIGHWAYS, ABOLISHING THE DIVISION OF
HIGHWAYS OF THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC
WORKS Approved, August 25, 1954. R.A. No.
1080 was enacted on June 15, 1954 making
bar and board exam (passers) are equivalent
to First-Grade Civil Service eligibility.

1955
REPUBLIC ACT No. 1383 was approved on
June 18, 1955
AN ACT CREATING A PUBLIC CORPORATION
TO BE KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL
WATERWORKS AND SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
The first road classification system in
the country was established through
Republic Act No. 917, known as the
Philippine Highway Act, enacted in 1953 and
Executive Order 113, series of 1955 which
classified roads into national roads (national
primary and national secondary), national
aid roads (roads of sufficient importance for
eventual reclassification at a later stage) and
provincial/city/municipal/barangay roads.
1955 1970
National Waterworks and Sewerage System
Authority (NAWASA) was created through RA
1383
1956
On June 16, 1956, the Civil
Engineering law was further amended by
Republic Act No. 1582. On the same year,
the Architecture law was further amended by
Republic Act No. 1581. Ambuklao Dam is part
of a hydroelectric facility in Brgy. Ambuklao,
Bokod, Benguet province in the Philippines.
The development of the Agno River for
purposes of hydroelectric power generation,
flood control, and irrigation had been
conceived as early as the late 1940s.
Preliminary investigations for development at
Ambuklao and Binga Dam sites were
undertaken as early as January 1948. With
maximum water storage capacity of
327,170,000 cubic metres (265,240 acreft),
the facility, which is located 36 km (22 mi)
from Baguio city, can produce up to 105
megawatts of electricity to Luzon grid. The
main source of water comes from the Agno
River which originates from Mt. Data.
Ambuklao Dam bagan its construction on July
1950 and opened on December 23, 1956.
1957
Agusan Dam started construction on
May 1956 and it opened on December 29,
1957.
1960s
Philippines had created one of the top
countries in the world that produces
architects and engineers since the 60s
Private and infrastructure developments
were not in existence in the country to make
use of these new architects and engineers
Shortage of projects in the country have
resulted to an influx of Filipino architects and
engineers migration to the US and Europe
which started in the 60s Inexpensive labor
and be able to communicate in English of
these Filipino professionals made them
attractive to be hired by these developed

countries Due to their proficiency in English

(compared to other immigrants), Filipino
architects/engineers have successfully
assimilated in the political and economic
structure in their host country Many
architects and engineers have established
their own firms and/or had broken the
ceiling within their firms Due to their
numbers, Filipino architects and engineers
globally have formed their own groups and
made alliances with other Filipino
associations Many Filipino architects and
engineers in the Philippines have found
contract work overseas The North Luzon
Expressway (NLE or NLEx), and which is
formerly called the North Diversion Road and
Manila North Expressway (MNEX), and
officially known as Radial Road 8 is a 2 to 8lane limited-access toll expressway that
connects Metro Manila to the provinces of
the Central Luzon region in the Philippines. It
is one of the two branches of the Radial Road
8 (R-8) of Metro Manila (Quirino Highway is
the other). It was built in the 1960s. The
expressway begins in Quezon City at a
cloverleaf interchange with EDSA: a
continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue. It
then passes through Quezon City, Caloocan,
and Valenzuela in Metro Manila. Meycauayan,
Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto,
Malolos, Plaridel, and Pulilan in Bulacan. San
Simon, San Fernando, Mexico and Angeles in
Pampanga. The expressway currently ends at
Mabalacat and merges with the MacArthur
Highway, which continues northward into the
rest of Central and Northern Luzon.
Presently, it was maintained by Tollways
Management Corporation with a total length
of 84 km
1960 1980s
The automobile age. It was during the
decade that road construction becomes a
matter of priority of the government under
the slogan: This nation is on Wheels.
1960
Binga Dam is a dam connected to a
hydroelectric power plant situated at Barrio
Binga, Barangay Tinongdan in Itogon,
Benguet, Philippines. The plant was
constructed in 1956 and was opened in
1960, three years after Ambuklao Dam was
opened. It is located 31 km southeast of
Baguio City and 19 km downstream of
Ambuklao Dam. Improvement of the dam is
on-going for it had received heavy damage
during the 1990 Luzon earthquake, and its
installed capacity of 100 MW is being
upgraded to 120 MW. In 1960, the
International Bureau of Weights and
Measures prepared a system of units
designated the Systeme Internationale d
Unites with the abbreviation SI, for
worldwide adoption. It has been adopted and
used by most of the over 160 countries in
the world, with the exception of Borneo, the

Sultanate of Brunei, Liberia and notably the

United States.
1961
The first thirteen years of the airport
were marked by the building of infrastructure
dedicated to international flights. The
international runway and associated taxiway
were built in 1953, and 1961 saw the
completion of a control tower and a terminal
building for the exclusive use of international
passengers at the southwest intersection of
the runways. This system came to be
officially known as the Manila International
Airport (MIA). The Association of Structural
Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP) was
founded.
1961-1967
Angat Dam located at Norzagaray,
Bulacan started its construction on
November 1961 and opened on October 16,
1967 with height of 131 meters, length of
568 meters and base width of 550 meters.
The source of dam is the Angat River, with a
capacity of 850 million cubic meters 1963
REPUBLIC ACT No. 3597 was approved on
June 22,
1963
(NAWASA Act) AN ACT AMENDING CERTAIN
PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED
THIRTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE,
ENTITLED "AN ACT CREATING A PUBLIC
CORPORATION TO BE KNOWN AS THE
NATIONAL WATERWORKS AND SEWERAGE
AUTHORITY"
The National Irrigation Administration
is a government-owned and controlled
corporation tasked with the development
and operation of Irrigation Systems all over
the country. It was created under RA 3601
which was signed on June 22, 1963 by then
President Diosdado P. Macapagal. Its
forerunner was the Irrigation Division of the
defunct Bureau of Public Works. By virtue of
Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1 issued by
President Ferdinand Marcos, all irrigation
activities were integrated under the NIA. The
Agencys power was likewise broadened and
capitalization increased from P300 M to 2 B
by the issuance of PD 552 on September 11,
1072. Capitalization was further increased to
P10 B under PD 1702 on July 17, 1980. NIA
absorbed the functions of the Irrigation
Division of the Bureau of Public Works and
the Irrigation Unit of the Bureau of Lands and
Friar Lands Irrigation System. This hybrid
nature of NIA enabled it to use funds from
the government treasury for constructing
and rehabilitating irrigation systems, the
underlying premise being that irrigation
benefited not only the farmers, but the
broader society as well.
1964

On June 20, 1964, Republic Act No.

4156 is enacted. It changes the corporate
name of Manila Railroad Company (MRRCo)
to Philippine National Railways (PNR)
1965
R.A No. 4566 was enacted on June 19,
1965 regulating constructions or The
Contractors License Law
1967
Angat Dam is a concrete water
reservoir embankment hydroelectric dam
that supplies the Manila metropolitan area
water. It was a part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa
water system. The reservoir supplies about
90 percent of raw water requirements for
Metro Manila through the facilities of the
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage
System and it irrigates about 28,000
hectares of farmland in the provinces of
Bulacan and Pampanga. Construction began
on November 1961 and it opened on October
16, 1967. R.A. No. 5181 was enacted on
September 8, 1967 requiring residence and
reciprocity in the exercise of professions by
aliens.
DURING MARTIAL LAW (MARCOS ERA)
1965-1973
President Ferdinand Marcos appointed
Manuel Syquio as Acting Secretary of Public
Works and Communications.
1970s
The 70s is commonly known as the
Martial Law years. Declared in 1972, the first
few years of its implementation brought
about good things to our country. But its
later years proved to be the most trying
times of our country. Incidentally, the
construction industry in the Middle East was
at its peak and civil engineers and architects
were in demand. In the early 1970's, there
were already 591 national and municipal
ports plus 200 private ports scattered all
over the country necessitating the need for
long-range planning and rationalization of
port development.
1971 - 1997
On 19 June 1971, Republic Act 6234
was enacted. It dissolved the National
Waterworks and Sewerage System (NAWASA)
and created in its place the Metropolitan
Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
MWSS was thus given the mandate to
ensure an uninterrupted and adequate
supply and distribution of potable water for
domestic and other purposes at just and
equitable rates. The proper operation and
maintenance of sewerage systems was
likewise part of its mandate.
1971
On August 20, 1971, Republic Act No. 6366
was passed amending the PNR Charter

1972
PACE President Engr. Cesar A.
Caliwara, exerted a serious effort in merging
the two organizations. Leaders of PACE and
PSCE negotiated, and talked about the
choice of name. Some concerns were raised
such as formal accounting and turnover of
assets and liabilities, accreditation of
bonafide members and election rules for the
first officers which were sooner resolved.
1973
On June 1973, President Ferdinand E.
Marcos issued Presidential Decree 223,
creating the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC) regulating all professions
and accrediting only one organization to
represent each profession. On December 11,
1973, the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) issued Registration
Certificate No.53896 to the PHILIPPINE
INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, INC. (PICE).
This was the culmination and fulfilment of a
vision to merge two separate organizations
of civil engineers in the country, the
Philippine Society of Civil Engineers (PSCE)
and the Philippine Association of Civil
Engineers (PACE). Presidential Decree No.
198, also known as The Provincial Water
Utilities Act of 1973, was signed into law on
May 25, 1973.That law created the Local
Water Utilities Administration or LWUA in the
national level and provided for the
establishment of Water Districts in provincial
cities and municipalities. A feasibility study
and airport master plan was drawn up in
1973 by Airways Engineering Corporation.
The detailed engineering design of the new
MIA Development Project (MIADP) was
undertaken by Renardet-Sauti/Transplan/F.F.
Cruz Consultants while the design of the
International Passenger Terminal building
was prepared by Architect L.V. Locsin &
Associates. A US$29.6 Million loan was
arranged with the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) to finance the project.
1974
On February 1974, the first election of
officers of PICE was held and Engr. Cesar
Caliwara became its first president. In order
to truly unite the civil engineers of the
Philippines, provincial chapters were
organized. Bureau of Public Highways (BPH)
was expanded as The Department of Public
Highways (DPH) The former Bureau of Public
Highways was expanded and restructured
into the Department of Public Highways
(DPH) for a more effective administration of
the countrys highway system through
Administrative Order No. 2, dated July 1,
1974.
1975
The first International convention was
held in the Philippines on May 20 to 24, 1975
with the theme Civil Engineering in Disaster

Prevention Control." (Philippine Institute of

Civil Engineers) On August 13, 1975, the
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)
recognized the PICE as the only official
organization of civil engineers in the
Philippines with Accreditation No. 007
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 693 (Construction
of Magat Dam) was enacted on May 7, 1975
PD No. 693 - Authorizing the Construction of
the Magat River Multi-Purpose Project in
Isabela, Providing for the Financing Thereof,
and for Other Purposes. National Housing
Authority (NHA) was created under PD 757 to
oversee housing development on a national
level. The Philippine Ports Authority was
created under Presidential Decree No. 505
which was subsequently amended by P.D.
No. 857 in December 1975. In 1975,
President Ferdinand Marcos, by a Presidential
Decree, the System Internationale (SI)
system of units was mandated in the
Philippines
1976
With the shift in the form of government,
national agencies were renamed from
Departments to Ministries. In 1976,
Department of Public Works, Transportation
and Communications (DPWTC) became
Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and
Communications (MPWTC) & Department of
Public Highways (DPH) as Ministry of Public
Highways (MPH). In 1976, the National Water
Resources Board (NWRB) was created
through the National Water Code of the
Philippines (Water Code of the Philippines) to
coordinate policies concerning water
resources.
1977
PD 1096, otherwise known as the
National Building Code of the Philippines (the
NBCP) signed by then Pres. Ferdinand
Marcos on 19 February 1977 and its
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR);
Pantabangan Dam is an earth-fill
embankment dam on the Pampanga River
located in Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija
province of the Philippines. The multipurpose dam provides water for irrigation
and hydroelectric power generation while its
reservoir, Pantabangan Lake, affords flood
control. The reservoir is considered one of
the largest in Southeast Asia and also one of
the cleanest in the Philippines. Construction
on the dam began in 1971 and it was
completed in 1977. In May 1969, the
Congress of the Philippines authorized the
development of the Pampanga Basin with
Republic Act No. 5499. In October of that
year, detailed studies of the Pantabangan
site were carried out and lasted two years.
By June 11, 1971, Pantabangan was an old
town of around 300 years old. President
Ferdinand Marcos and many others arrived
for a ground breaking ceremony in
Palayupay, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, to
signal the beginning of the construction of

Pantabangan Dam. The dam went into

operation in February 1977 and was
completed later in May. Approximately 1,300
people were relocated from the dam's
reservoir zone.
1978
Under the 1973 Constitution, a
Parliamentary Form of governance was
established and departments were renamed
into ministries establishing the formal
ministry system. Hence, the Department of
Public Works and Communications became
the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation
and Communications (MPWTC). The National
Engineering Center (NEC) was established as
per P.D. No. 1295. It is an agency supported
by the National Government and by the
UNDP. The NEC will be an umbrella body
under which the non-teaching activities of
the college will be administered. These units
include: The National Hydraulics Research
Center (NHRC), the Training Center for
Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry
(TCAGP), the UP Industrial Research Center
(UPIRC), and the Transport Training Center
(TTC), and the Building Research Services
(BRS). On June 11, 1978, Presidential Decree
Number 1594 or The Prescribing Policies,
Guidelines, Rules and Regulations for
Government Infrastructure Contracts was
promulgated. Presidential Decree No. 1350
was promulgated on April 7, 1978 allowing
applicants for citizenship to take the board
exam pending the approval of their petition.

1978 1982
construction and appurtenant
structures was authorized by P.D. 693 signed
on May 7, 1975 by the late President
Ferdinand E. Marcos. The Magat Dam was
constructed in 1978 and inaugurated by the
Late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos on October
27, 1982 and started operations in 1983.
Implementation of this multipurpose project
was based on the preliminary study
conducted in 1973 by the National Irrigation
Administration (NIA) with the assistance of
the United States Bureau of Reclamation
(USBR) and the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). It was a
Rock-fill dam with a height of 114 meters
and length of 4, 160 meters.
1979
On July 23, 1979 under Executive
Order No. 546, MPWTC was again
restructured into two (2) Ministries the
Ministry of Public Works (MPW) and the
Ministry of Transportation and
Communications (MOTC), integrating all
bureaus and offices concerned with public
works functions and activities under the
Ministry of Public Works. The same went true
with all offices involved in transportation and
communications which were placed under

the supervision and administration of the

Ministry of Transportation and
Communications. Minister Jose P. Dans
served as head of the MOTC. On July 23,
1979, by Executive Order No. 546, PNR
becomes one of the attached agencies of the
Ministry of Transportation and
Communications, now DOTC
1980s
Major highways and expressways were
constructed through the financial assistance
and loans from foreign banks
1980
In 1980 President Marcos founded the
Rural Waterworks Development Corporation
(RWDC), responsible for water supply in
areas where neither MWSS nor LWUA carries
out the service or assists the LGUs,
respectively. The RWDC was expected to
create rural water supply associations in
order to construct, operate, and maintain
their own water supply systems in
communities with fewer than 20,000
inhabitants. On July 12, 1980, the country's
president, Ferdinand E. Marcos, created the
Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) as a
government agency. The Chairman was the
then First Lady and Governor of Metro
Manila, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. This LRTA
confined its activities to determining policies,
to the regulation and fixing of fares, and to
the planning of extensions to the system.
The project was called Metrorail and was
operated by a sister company of the former
tramway company Meralco, called Metro, Inc.
Initial assistance for building the LRT project
came from the Belgian government which
granted a P300 million "soft" and interestfree loan with a repayment time of 30 years.
The project was expected to pay for itself
within a period of 20 years out of revenue
alone. A Belgian consortium consisting of
ACEC (Ateliers de Constructions Electriques
de Charleroi, BN), (Constructions Ferroviaires
et Metalliques, formerly Brugeoise et
Nivelles), TEI (Tractionnel Engineering
International) and TC (Transurb Consult)
provided an additional loan of P700 million.
The consortium provided the cars, signalling,
power control, telecommunications, training
and technical assistance. The entire system
was expected to be financially "in the red"
well into 1993. Against an expected gross
revenue of P365 million for the first
operating year, government losses were
thought likely to reach P216 million. The
system was designed as a public utility
rather than as a profit center. Construction of
the line started in October 1981, and was the
responsibility of CDCP (Construction and
Development Corporation of the Philippines),
with assistance from the Swiss firm of
Losinger and the American company Dravo,
the latter, through its Philippine subsidiary.
The government appointed Electrowatt
Engineering Services of Zurich (Switzerland)

to manage and supervise the project.

Electrowatt set up offices in Manila and
became responsible for extension studies of
the system which eventually comprised 150
km of routes along all major corridors in
about 20 years time. Martial Law executed
Letter of Instruction 1000 on March 20, 1980
the Malacanang edict of having just one
organization for each profession to be
accredited by the Professional Regulations
Commission.
1981
MPW and MPH were merged to
become The Ministry of Public Works and
Highways (MPWH) Under Executive Order No.
710 dated July 27, 1981, the Ministries of
Public Works and Public Highways were
merged for a more effective and sustained
implementation of infrastructure projects.
Under the restructured set-up, the agency
was known as the Ministry of Public Works
and Highways (MPWH) with 14 regional
offices, 94 districts and 60 city engineering
offices, five (5) bureaus and six (6) service
offices, in addition to corporations and
councils attached to the Ministry for
administrative supervision. In as early as
1981, the Philippine Board of Examiners for
the Various Licensure Examinations for the
Practice of Engineering and Architecture
began to use the new system of units, SI.
1980s
The increase of handheld calculators
revolutionized engineering, with faster and
more efficient calculations leaving the old
slide rule behind.
1982
Magat Dam is a large rock-fill dam on
the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The
dam is located on Magat River, a major
tributary of Cagayan River. Construction of
the dam started in 1975 and completed in
1982. Magat Dam is one of the largest dams
in the Philippines and has two primary
purposes: as a source of irrigation water and
as a provider of hydroelectric power. The
construction and appurtenant structures was
authorized by P.D. 693 signed on May 7,
1975 by the late President Ferdinand E.
Marcos. The Magat Dam was constructed in
1978 and inaugurated by the Late Pres.
Ferdinand E. Marcos on October 27, 1982
and started operations in 1983.
Implementation of this multipurpose project
was based on the preliminary study
conducted in 1973 by the National Irrigation
Administration (NIA) with the assistance of
the United States Bureau of Reclamation
(USBR) and the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Subsequent detailed and extensive dam site
investigation and engineering studies further
confirmed the feasibility of what is now
known as NIA's most daring infrastructure
project and one of Asia's biggest dams today.

It was Southeast Asia's first large

multipurpose dam. The dam is part of the
Magat River Multipurpose Project (MRMP)
which was financed by the World Bank and
whose purpose is to improve on the existing
Magat River Irrigation System (MARIS) and to
triple the production of rice in the Cagayan
River basin. The project was jointly financed
by the Philippine Government and the World
Bank which extended a US$150M loan to
finance the foreign exchange requirement. In
addition, a US$9M loan from Bahrain was
obtained for the purchase of other
equipment for the diversion tunnels, soils
laboratory and model testing. The total
project cost is US$3.4B (yr. 1975). The Magat
Dam is located on the Magat River at the
boundary between the municipalities of
Alfonso Lista in the province of Ifugao and
Ramon in Isabela both on the island of Luzon,
approximately 350 kilometres (220 mi) north
of Metro Manila. The Magat River is the
largest tributary of the Cagayan River, the
longest river in the country.
1984
Ipo Dam is a gravity concrete water
reservoir dam found in the Philippines. The
dam is located about 7.5 kilometres
downstream of the Angat Dam in
Norzagaray, Bulacan province. It was a part
of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system. Its
normal level is 110 m. The Ipo Dam is a
gravity concrete dam located about 7.5
kilometres downstream of the Angat Dam
near its confluence with the Ipo River in
Bulacan. It was completed in January 1984
with a maximum storage capacity of 7.5
million cubic metres, an increase of about
2,500 million litres per day (MLD) from the
old Ipo Dam, which used to be located 200
metres upstream of the new dam. The spill
level of the dam is at an elevation of 101
metres and it has seven radial floodgates.
The watershed topography is characterised
by mountainous terrain similar to the Angat
Reservoir Watershed with moderate forest
cover. The watershed has an area of about
70 square kilometers and receives an
average annual rainfall of 3,500 millimeters.
Tributaries to the Angat River at this section
include the Ipo, Sapa Pako and Sapa Anginon
Rivers. These tributaries drain into the Angat
River from the eastern section of the
watershed. Water from the dam is diverted
to the Novaliches Portal and the La Mesa
Dam through three intake structures going
down to three connecting tunnels into five
connecting aqueducts.
AFTER EDSA REVOLUTION
1987
Finally, by virtue of Executive Order
No. 124, dated January 30, 1987, the Ministry
of Public Works and Highways (MPWH) is now
known as the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) with five (5) bureaus,

six (6) services, 16 regional offices, 24

project management offices, 16 regional
equipment services and 118 district
engineering offices. As the primary
engineering and construction arm of the
government, the DPWH is responsible for the
planning, design, construction and
maintenance of infrastructures such as roads
and bridges, flood control systems, water
resource development projects and other
public works in accordance with national
objectives. On August 17, 1987, Republic Act
No. 6639 was enacted and the MIA was
renamed the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport. The MIA Authority however, retained
its corporate name since the law did not
amend the original or revised charters of the
MIAA.
1989
On August 23, 1989, the Tutuban
Station and part of the railroad yard was
leased out for shopping mall development.
PNR Management Center transfers to its
Training Center site in Caloocan City and PNR
Operations Center transfers to its railway
station in Paco, Manila. The La Mesa
Watershed and Eco-Park consists of the La
Mesa Dam and an ecological nature reserve
site in Quezon City commissioned in 1929 in
the Philippines. It is part of the Angat-Ipo-La
Mesa water system, which supplies most of
the water supply of Metro Manila. The La
Mesa Dam is an earth dam whose reservoir
can hold up to 50.5 million cubic meters and
occupying an area of 27 square kilometers.
The water collected in the reservoir is
treated on-site by the Maynilad Water
Services, and at the Balara Treatment Plant
further south by the Manila Water. Both
water companies are private concessionaires
awarded by the Metropolitan Waterworks and
Sewerage System, the government agency in
charge of water supply. It is a vital link to the
water requirements of 12 million residents of
Metro Manila considering that 1.5 million
liters of water pass through this reservoir
every day. It is also the last forest of its size
in the metropolis.
1991
And for the first time, a "Civil
Engineering Week" for the period November
3 to 9, 1991 was declared by Malacaang
thru Proclamation No.799 issued on
September 20, 1991 by President Corazon C.
Aquino. The C.E. week was celebrated
nationwide thru coordinated activities of all
PICE chapters and the PICE National Board
culminating in the most successful and wellattended '91 PICE Annual Convention (1,400
plus registered participants).
1993
The Board of Civil Engineering (at PRC)
held its first fully computerized (board)
examinations on May 29, 1993 and released
the results on November 9, 1993.

1995
On February 28, 1995, the Syllabi for
the Subjects in the Civil Engineering
licensure examinations were promulgated.
1997 up to present
The privatization of MWSS In 1997, the
Legislature passed into law Republic Act
8041, also known as The Water Crisis Act.
The Act, which paved the way for the
privatization of MWSS, had as its primary
objectives the following:
Transfer
financial burden to the private sector
Improve service standards
Increase
operational efficiency
Minimize tariff
impact In August that year, the Philippine
government entered into a 25-year
Concession Agreement with two private
consortia comprised of local and
international partners. This effectively
transferred the operational responsibilities of
MWSS to Manila Water Company, Inc. (for the
East Zone) and Maynilad Water Services, Inc.
(for the West Zone).
2000
RA 8981 or Professional Regulations
Commission (PRC) Modernization Act of 2000
was enacted and signed into law on
December 5, 2000 by President Joseph
Ejercito Estrada
2001
Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers,
Inc. (PICE) has been awarded by the
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as
the Most Outstanding Accredited Professional
Organization.
2003
The San Roque Dam, operated under
San Roque Multipurpose Project (SRMP) is a
200 meters tall, 1.2 kilometer long
embankment dam on the Agno River. It
spans the municipalities of San Manuel and
San Nicolas, Pangasinan and is nearly 200
km north of Metro Manila. The dam impounds
a reservoir with a surface area of about 12.8
square kilometers extending North into the
municipality of Itogon, Benguet. A gated
spillway protects the dam from overtopping.
Each wet season, the run-off is stored for
later release via water turbines to generate
power and irrigate crops. Agno River is the
third largest river in the Philippines with a
total length of 221 kilometers and a drainage
basin at the Project site of 1,225 square
kilometers. The river originates in the
Cordillera Mountains, initially flows from
north to south, and divides into several
channels in the flat central plain of Luzon
and meanders westerly through the
provinces of Pangasinan and Tarlac before
emptying into the Lingayen Gulf. San Roque
Power Corporation (SRPC) financed and
constructed the SRMP under a power
purchase agreement (PPA) with the National

Power Corporation (NPC) on a Build-OperateTransfer (BOT) basis. SRPC substantially

completed the SRMP at midnight, February
14, 2003, at which time its peaking power,
irrigation, flood control and enhanced water
quality benefits became available to the
surrounding regions, which include the
Northwest Luzon Economic Growth
Quadrangle. In reality, all but its power
benefits have been available since mid-2002
when the dam and spillway were completed.
Ownership of the dam and spillway was
transferred to NPC upon construction
completion, as it contributed funds for the
non-power components on behalf of several
agencies. SRPC will own and operate the
power generating facilities for 25 years, after
which their ownership transfers to NPC.
Republic Act Number 9184 or AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE MODERNIZATION,
STANDARIZATION AND REGULATION OF THE
PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES OF THE
GOVERNMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
was enacted by President Gloria MacapagalArroyo on January 10, 2003. The United
Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the
Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE)
signed a joint resolution supporting the
passage of Architecture and Civil Engineering
bills delineating their respective scope of
practice and to strengthen their collaborative
efforts in common goals. The two
professional groups through their leaders
stressed the need for the immediate passage
of their respective bills, which would benefit
their hundreds of thousand members
nationwide.
2004
Last March 17, 2004, RA 9266 or The
Architecture Act of 2004 was passed into
law. Republic Act No. 9275 was approved on
March 22, 2004 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A
COMPREHENSIVE WATER QUALITY
MANAGEMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
2005
In 2004, the Architecture Act was
passed and signed into law. But in 2005, a
petition for declaratory relief filed on May 3
2005 by the PICE and Engr. Leo Cleto Gamolo
to declare null and void Sections 302.3 and
302.4 of the Revised Implementing Rules and
Regulations (Revised IRR) of Presidential
Decree No. 1096 (the National Building
Code). The said provisions require that
architectural documents submitted in
applications for building permits must be
prepared, signed and sealed by architects.
PICE claim that the said sections of the
Revised IRR, by effectively prohibiting Civil
Engineers from also preparing, signing and
sealing architectural documents, are
contrary to the National Building Code and
the Republic Act No. 544 (the Civil
Engineering Law), which purportedly gave
Civil Engineers the said right.

2006
Since November 2006 CE Board Exam,
the Professional Regulation Commission
releases only Top 10 Board Exam Performers
and stopped releasing the 11th to 20th
places Executive Order No. 566 issued by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dated
September 8, 2006 directing the Commission
on Higher Education to regulate the
establishment and operation of review
centers and similar entities
2007
November 2007 CE Board Exam was
invalidated (retake last January 2008 for
Hydraulics and Geotechnical Engineering)
Note: Results of retake exam (Hydraulics and
Geotechnical Engineering) was released last
January 2008 Commission on Higher
Education makes Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) based on Executive Order
No. 566
2008
After several court hearings at the
Manila Regional Trial Court, the PICE's motion
was denied on January 29, 2008 and the RTC
ruled in favor of the architects. [National
Capital Judicial Region, Regional Trial Court,
Branch 22 Manila Philippine Institute of
Civil Engineers, Inc. and Leo Cleto Gamolo,
Petitioners versus The Honorable
Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., in his capacity as
Secretary of Public Works and Highways as
Respondent, and United Architects of the
Philippines as Intervenor-Respondent for Civil
Case Number 05-112502 for: Declaratory
Relief, Injunction with prayer for Writ of
Preliminary Prohibition and/or Mandatory
Injunction and Temporary Restraining Order]
2010 up to present
UPDATES ON PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
ON CE 544
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
House Bill No. 2200
House Bill No. 2200 as filed by
Representative Salvador H. Escudero III
Status of the Bill: Pending with the
Committee on CIVIL SERVICE AND
PROFESSIONAL REGULATION since 2010-0811

House Bill No. 2797

House Bill No. 2797 as filed by
Representatives Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr. Status of the Bill:
Pending with the Committee on CIVIL
SERVICE AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
since 2010-09-01
House Bill No. 4071

House Bill No. 4071 as filed by

Representative Angelo Palmones Status of
the Bill: Pending with the Committee on CIVIL
SERVICE AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
since 2011-02-02
House Bill No. 4456
House Bill No. 4456 as filed by
Representative Aurelio Dong D. Gonzales Jr.
House Bill No. 5940
Status of the Bill: Submitted by the
Committee on Civil Service and Professional
Regulation on March 1, 2012 Recommending
its approval in substitution of HB No. 2200,
2797, 4071 and 4456 (It was approved in
substitution of HB Nos.2200, 2797, 4071 and
4456) Sponsors: Representatives Andres D.
Salvacion Jr., Salvador H. Escudero III
(Sorsogon 1st District), Rufus B. Rodriguez
(Cagayan de Oro City, 2nd District), Maximo
B. Rodriguez Jr. (Abante Mindanao PartylistABAMIN), Angelo Palmones (Agham Partylist)
and Aurelio D. Gonzales Jr. (Pampanga 3rd
District) Hon. Andres Salvacion Jr. (of Leyte
3rd District) was chairman of Committee on
Civil Service and Professional Regulation
SENATE
The Senate Committee on Civil Service and
Government Reorganization will conduct a
Public Hearing on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at
1:00 PM at the Sen. Padilla Room, 2nd Floor,
Senate of the Philippines, Pasay City to
deliberate on the following legislative
measures: Senate Bill No. 2109: AN ACT
FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 544,
AS AMENDED, OR THE CIVIL ENGINEERING
LAW (Introduced by Senator F. Escudero);
15th Congress Filed on July 27, 2010 by
Escudero, Francis "Chiz" G. Status: Pending in
the Committee (9/15/2010) Senate Bill No.
2770: AN ACT AN ACT PROFESSIONALIZING
THE PRACTICE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING IN THE
PHIILIPPINES, REPEALING FOR THIS PURPOSE
REPUBLIC ACT NUMBER FIVE HUNDRED AND
FORTY-FOUR (RA NO. 544), AS AMENDED,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (Introduced by
Senator P. Lacson) Filed on March 31, 2011
by Lacson, Panfilo M. Status: Pending in the
Committee (5/9/2011)
2012
Last March 2012, the Board of Civil
Engineering wrote to Philippine Institute of
Civil Engineers (PICE) that the board exam
questions will be increased from 30/35 (per
subject) to 100 problems per subject
effective for May 2012 CE Board Exams.
Meaning, there are 100 problems per subject
or a 300-item board exam questions. The
issue (National Building Code issue) was
brought by the PICE to the Court of Appeals.
In January 5, 2012, the Court of Appeals of
the Philippines, in its decision granted the
appeal of PICE and reversed the Decision of
the Regional Trial Court thus giving the Civil

Engineers the right to prepare, sign and seal

Plans and Designs of Buildings such as
Vicinity Map/Location Plan, Site Development
Plan, Perspective, Floor Plans, Elevations,
Sections, Reflected Ceiling Plans and the like.
[Court of Appeals-Ninth Division Case
Number: CA-G.R. CV No. 93917 Philippine
Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. and Leo Cleto
Gamolo as Petitioners-Appellants, versus The
Honorable Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., in his
capacity as Secretary of Public Works and
Highways as Respondent-Appellee, and
United Architects of the Philippines as
Intervenor-Appellee]
2013
Last August 23, 2013, Republic Act
10609 or the Protection of Students' Right to
Enroll in Review Centers Act of 2013 was
signed into law. More info at GMA News
Online.

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