1.

RA 544 – The Civil Engineering Law

- The Civil Engineering Law, Republic Act No. 544, which governs the practice of civil
engineering in the Philippines, was last amended 55 years ago. The civil engineer is
constantly challenged to design and build developments in a manner that is environmentally
sound, socially acceptable, and globally competitive.
2. Guidelines and Regulations for the CE Board Exam

Guidelines
 The areas covered by the examination shall be those included in the topics enumerated in
the syllabus for the particular subject. The examination questions in each subject shall be
comprehensive and well balanced in scope.
 Questions and answers should relate to matters which are of general applicability in the civil
engineering practice in the Philippines.
 Questions and answers shall be framed in a clear and concise manner taking into
consideration the degree or level of proficiency for each topic. Instructions or requirements
should be clearly stated.
 The assigned weight and estimated time for each subject shall be indicated.
 Electronic and scientific calculators are allowed. However, programmable calculators
 and pocket personal computers are not allowed and will be confiscated if brought to the
 examination room.

Regulations

In accordance with Section 12 of the Civil Engineering Law, before the date of
examination, the following requirements shall be met by the applicants to take the Civil Engineering
Board Exam:

 Applicants must be a Filipino citizen;

 Applicants must be at least 21 years of age upon the filing of application;
 Applicants must be of good moral character; and
 Applicants must be a graduate of a five-year civil engineering course from an institute, school,
university, or college that is acknowledged and recognized by the government.

Here is the overview of how the test is being conducted as per Resolution No. 02 Series of 1995 of the
Board of Civil Engineering:

 The examination shall be totally computerized unless otherwise officially announced.

 The Board shall provide a minimum of 500 questions for each subject from which the computer
of the Commission will select at random on the day or a few days prior to the examination of the
questions to be given.
 The number of questions for each subject shall not be less than 20 at 4 points each.
 The maximum number of questions shall not be more than 100 at 1 point each.
 The examination shall be closed books and notes.
  Examinees shall be given 10 computation and scratch sheets which must be submitted with the
answer sheets.
 Electronic and scientific calculators are allowed. However, programmable calculators and pocket
personal computers are not allowed and will be confiscated if brought to the examination room.

3. Members of CE board, their qualifications and terms of office

Chairman - PRAXEDES P. BERNARDO
Member - ROMEO A. ESTAÑERO
Member - PERICLES P. DAKAY

Qualifications

a. Be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;

b. Be at least thirty years of age and of good moral character;
c. Be a graduate of civil engineering from a recognized and legally constituted school, institute,
college or university.
d. Be a registered civil engineer duly qualified to practice civil engineering in the Philippines;
e. Have practiced civil engineering, with a certificate as such, for a period of not less than ten
years prior to his appointment.
f. Not be a member of the faculty of any school, institute, college, or university where civil
engineering course is taught, nor have a pecuniary interest in such institutions;
g. No former members of the faculty of any school, institute or university where civil
engineering is taught can become a member of the Board unless he had stopped teaching for at
least three consecutive years.

Terms of Office

The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three years after appointment or until
their successors shall have been appointed and shall have qualified.

4. Legal and academic requirements for a CE Board Exam

- Be at least twenty-one years of age; Be a citizen of the Philippines; Be of good reputation
and moral character; and be a graduate of a four-year course in civil engineering from a
school, institute, college or university recognized by the Government or the State wherein it
is established.
5. Importance of sustainable development and public welfare in any civil engineering work

As a civil engineer, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
We play a vital role in Sustainable Development. Civil Engineers has the responsibility to ethically
combine all the disciplines interests and produce a perfect design. Civil engineers should do their best
to improve welfare, health and safety of the people. Engineers has the full responsibility for their own
work. A responsibility to advance the infrastructures of our society in a way that not only meets the
demand needs, but also meets those needs in a way that is both environmentally and socially
responsible.
6. Professional Practice for Civil Engineers

Civil Engineers must be professional to do the following:

 Perform their obligations with diligence, care, and reasonable skill.

 Shall act independently and accordingly to the contract, when required to certify or decide
between a client and a third party.
 Act as the client's faithful agent implied in the contract.
 Give written notice on particulars of any change in the scope of services.
 For staged services, civil engineers shall not initiate ay service without the approval of the client.
 When required, civil engineers shall direct or work with other professions and integrate
concerned work, but shall not be professionally liable for their work.
 The civil engineer may recommend contractors or specialists to design and execute certain parts
of the works.
 Any interest which may have conflict of interest of the client should be notified by the civil
engineer.

7. Professional Responsibility of Civil Engineers and the client-civil engineer relationship

As a faithful trustee to the public interest and private interest of clients, civil engineers have the
following responsibilities:

 Civil engineers shall conduct themselves in a highly professional manner and faithfully serve
their clients and employers.
 Civil engineers are bound by the Canon Laws.
 Sustainable development is the top priority in professional engagement.
 The highest standard of Ethical Professional Practice should be maintained when civil engineers
are dealing with employers or clients

8. Different Civil Engineering services

Construction Engineering

Construction engineering is a type of civil engineering service that involves planning, constructing, and
maintaining structures. It is the implementation of the designs made by other engineers according to
the exact specifications given by clients.

Structural Engineering

Structural engineering is a very important sub-discipline of civil engineering focused on training

engineers to make large structures. Structural engineers must understand and calculate the stability,
strength, rigidity, and earthquake-susceptibility of built systems for buildings and nonbuilding
structures.
Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical engineering or geotechnics is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the
engineering behaviors of earth materials.

It utilizes the basic principles of soil and rock mechanics for solving its respective engineering problems.
It also relies on knowledge learned from geology, hydrology, geophysics, and other related sciences.

Transportation Engineering

Transportation engineers have to provide engineering services related to improving the transportation
facilities of an organization. Therefore, the transportation engineering department has to operate with
departments responsible for planning, construction, and transportation facilities.

Surveying

The surveying department provides engineering services involving surveying and leveling land by
utilizing various instruments to map and shape the terrain. The primary aim of surveying is to locate and
measure property lines, lay out buildings, bridges, channels, highways, and pipelines for construction.

9. Basis, Procedure and methods in the selection of civil engineers

The primary move for a client in selecting an engineer is to define the scope of works in a project. The
client determines performance requirements. The following are factors in the selection process for the
private sector:

1. Reputation of the civil engineer as referred by the previous clients.

2. Validity of registration from PRC.
3. Qualifications and expertise in performing services.
4. Ability to assign a qualified staff on site to take charge of the project.
5. Possession of financial and business resources to accomplish the assignment.
For government projects, EO 164 and PD 1594 as amended apply to procurement of consulting services
and selection of contractor for construction.

10. Total Project Cost

A civil engineer is often engaged to make a study and to render a planning report on the
contemplated project including alternative solutions, layouts, and locations along with initial estimates
of the probable project cost. This may involve alternative or phase implementation schemes which add
flexibility to the project.

Is the estimated total cost of constructing the facility to be covered by the proposed detailed
design or construction supervision services, excluding the fees and other costs of such services, the cost
of land and right of way, and legal administrative expenses of the agency.