Bangoy, Cres Dan, Jr. O.

CIVENG-EW

Why I Chose Civil Engineering

What is a Civil Engineer? We
have heard it so many times, and yet
some of us, if not most of us still do
not know what it is. According to
Colombia University in the City of
New York (2019), the first Civil
Engineer can be dated back to the first
time someone constructed a roof to
protect themselves from the weather or
https://www.information-age.com/digital-transformation-construction-industry-123484133/
fell down a tree to make it easier to
cross a river, making Civil
Engineering arguably the oldest engineering discipline. Another definition was of the SMW
Engineering Group, Inc. (2019) they said, “Civil Engineering deals with the design, construction,
and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment.” There were many Engineers
from the past who helped hone the modern engineering that we know and love today. Amongst
them was the French engineer best known for his construction of tunnels, bridges, and viaducts for
the Great Western Railway, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He has helped us develop extremely
complicated structures today because of his efforts despite living in the time of the French Revolt
(BBC History, 2014). Another was a former captain in the Royal Navy who turned into
engineering, Joseph Bazalgette, best known for his work on sewers that prevented mortality rates
during the epidemic of Cholera in 1853 (BBC History, 2014). His efforts helped make the modern
sewage systems, railways, drainages, etc. today, thus making a healthier and more livable future.
These men serve as inspirations to aspiring engineers like my peers and I making us strive to
become catalysts of a better and brighter future. In my years of observing, Davao, Bulacan, and
Makati, all of which I have lived for a significant amount of time have vast differences in
developments and relevance of Civil Engineers.
I have resided in Davao for about 11 years, in my time of living
there the tallest building was The Marco Polo Hotel, Davao. For the young
me, it was fascinating. Looking at something piercing through the sky,
obstructing the skyline with its pearly white façade and gleaming
windows. It was an enigma, something I cannot even imagine how it was
constructed. That was the first time I truly thought about it, and maybe
even fell in love with it. After 11 years, I migrated to Bulacan, of course,
Industrialization doesn’t stop. Many buildings were constructed, old
places converted into new modern structures, and the once tall and mighty
buildings I knew are now dwarfed by monoliths making them mere
shadows of their former selves. One good example is the tallest building https://upload.wikimedia.org/
in Davao, Vivaldi Residences; it is 118m tall having 37 stories (Euro towers wikipedia/commons/8/86/Ma
International, 2018), almost double of the former king, Marco Polo Hotel rco_Polo_Hotel_-_Davao.jpg
Davao. After the former mayor, now President Rodrigo Duterte was elected into office, developers
are now in a rush to invest in Davao City. With the surge of multiple developments happening in
Davao City, Civil Engineers are now needed there more than ever.
 We migrated to Bulacan for personal, confidential
reasons and I stayed there for almost two years until we
decided to migrate again. From late 2011’s until 2012 I
have resided in Bulacan. Not a single building on the
skyline, the only structures that even resemble a building
are old three-story houses you can see once every three
hundred meters or so. You can observe cows grazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDhqpbKx7EY through vast spaces of grass, chickens waking you up
with a loud “cock-a-doodle-doo” early in the morning.
Life there was as simple as it could have been. Unsurprisingly, even after 2012, there weren’t many
buildings that were constructed. No structures obstructing the skyline just grasslands converted
into subdivisions, but no major works like Davao had. The tallest building, they currently have is
the 150 ft tall statue of Jesus in Marilao, Bulacan (Aurelio, 2017). Civil Engineers on a county like
Bulacan are not needed. Industrialization in Bulacan is lethargic. They cannot strive in a place
where buildings are not even an option in construction. Sure, some bridges were also constructed,
but, it is not enough to make Civil Engineering a sustainable living.

From the late 2013’s onwards, I have resided in Makati. I was dumbfounded by the sheer
number of skyscrapers piercing the sky, obstructing the skyline. Monoliths of modern civil
engineering scattered across a twenty-seven square kilometer plane of land. Waking up to busy
streets, sidewalk murmurs, and alarm clocks define what city living is.
Everything is fast, on the go, as if in a race people walk, commute and
use all kinds of products by modern engineering. The tallest building
amongst them all is the 19-year-old PBCom tower, standing at 259
meters tall, boasting 55 stories (Emporis Statistics, September 2019). It
is a marvel to look at, an unbelievable height, it is almost unreachable,
but through engineering, this monolith was made possible. Makati
seems to have its impetus go stronger and stronger, with business giants
backing it like Ayala corp. and Makati Business Club, developments
will not stop anytime soon. Many multi-billionaires invest in the land
because of its value and success, earning its moniker Central Business
District. Makati City is a Civil Engineer’s dream. With so many
developments made every year, Civil engineers are in high demand all
the time. From offices, condominiums to bridges, civil engineers are http://www.markeot.com/details/li
needed to complete such projects. sting/1488/manila-pb-com-tower

From the first roof to modern marvels like the skyscrapers we know today, Civil
engineering has been impactful to society for the longest time. From the Egyptian Pyramids to
British Sewers, to subways, etc. engineers have all strived to make the world a better place. Some
people affect the places they go to me, the places I lived at affected me; all my life I have observed
the structures around me and I must say, not all places are equally industrialized, at least not here
in the Philippines. I have lived in Davao, Bulacan, and Makati at different points in time. Davao
is a city I hold dear in my heart; it is where I was first inspired also to want to create a monolith
that breaks the limits of structures. Bulacan is where I found solace in silence; living there made
me realize that buildings are not needed to live a happy life. Makati, however, gave me the strength,
nurtured me to become a competitive and useful member of society that aims to make other
people’s lives better through one way or another. Despite having a vast difference in the height of
their respective tallest buildings, the status of their industrializations and respective impact of
engineers, Davao, Bulacan and Makati Nurtured me, helped me grow to make me strive for
greatness. I know challenges will be faced soon and I know that they will not become detrimental
for my success but instead, leverage to elevate me to new heights that will make me a better person,
someone worthy of the moniker: La Sallian achiever for God and Country. This is why I chose
Civil Engineering.
References
Aurelio, J. (2017). Tallest divine mercy statue unveiled in Bulacan. Retrieved from
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/151852/tallest-divine-mercy-statue-unveiled-bulacan
BBC History. (2014). History. Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/brunel_kingdom_isambard.shtml
BBC History. (2014). History. Joseph Bazalgette. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bazalgette_joseph.shtml
Columbia University in the City of New York (2019). What is civil engineering? Retrieved from
https://civil.columbia.edu/about/what-civil-engineering
Emporis (2019, September). Tallest buildings in Makati. Retrieved from
https://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings/city/100396/makati-philippines
Euro Tower International (2019). Vivaldi residence Davao. Retrieved from
https://eurotowersintl.com/vivaldi-residence-davao/
SMW Engineering group (2019). Civil engineering defined. Retrieved from
http://www.smweng.com/smw-civil-engineering-defined