Engr. Teodoro T. Encarnacion, former Undersecretary, Department of Public Works and Highways
Interviewed by Dr. Ricardo T. Jose
Third World Studies Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City
3 May 2017
Engr. Teodoro T. Encarnacion obtained his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (1960) and his master’s degree in Environmental Planning (1969) from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Engr. Encarnacion started work at the then-Department of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications immediately after graduation, initially as a laborer then as an associate civil engineer after topping the 1961 Civil Engineer Board Exams. Planning was his core function in the Department, for which he undertook further studies in UP and in the World Bank’s Economic Development Institute. He was Assistant Chief of the Planning and Project Development Office (PPDO) of then Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, and Communication, initiated by then-Minister David M. Consunji in 1972. In this capacity, Engr. Encarnacion was one of the consultants of the Urban Transport Study in the Manila Metropolitan Area (UTSMMA, 1973). Newly appointed as the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Administration in 1977, he was part of the Steering Group of the Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project (MMETROPLAN, 1977). Engr. Encarnacion was also involved in the Metro Manila Urban Transportation Strategy and Planning Project (MMUTSTRAP, 1983) and the Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS, 1999) as part of its Executive and Steering Committees, respectively.
While he was with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Engr. Encarnacion was part of interagency technical working groups for legislation that provided rules and guidelines for government procurement: RA 6957 and RA 7718, RA 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act), and their predecessor, PD 1594. After his retirement from the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2005, Engr. Encarnacion remained active in transportation infrastructure planning; as a consultant, he was part of the drafting of the proposed Transportation Policy Act of the Philippines and of the National Transport Plan, which was referred to in the preparation of the Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan of the Benigno Simeon Aquino III administration.
Engr. Encarnacion was among the 100 Outstanding Alumni of the Century awarded by the UP Alumni Engineers in 2009 and the 75 Filipino Outstanding Civil Engineers awarded by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers at its 75th anniversary celebration in 2012, among his many achievements.