FERRER, FREDIE T. ASSIGNMENT NO.

: 2
BSCE 5-1 CE LAWS, CONTRACTS AND ETHICS

SITUATION: You are a licensed engineer and assigned as a project manager for a proposed 6-
storey residential/commercial building but the project is not already started based on the proposed
date of start of construction due to some reason. And to meet some deadlines that are listed on the
gantt chart even the project is delayed, your project team suggested to omit some activities that
are just an optional for them and one of which they want to omit is the soil testing, checking of
plans whether the designer follow the National Structural Codes of the Philippines and etc. As a
project manager, you are the one who will decide whether you agree on your teammates
suggestion, make other feasible solution to still meet the deadline without interrupting and
omitting some activities and informed the owner about this delay, or start anyway the project
even it will finished late. What will you choose?

ANSWER: As said on the Fundamental Canon of Civil Engineer no. 1 Engineers shall hold
paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the
principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties, you must
not choose the first one on the choices which is to agree on your teammates suggestion because
its too dangerous since you didnt know the soil profile where the structure will be built and you
will not sure if it can resist the loads that the building will transmitted in it. Since it is 6-storey
building, the soil testing must conduct before the construction of structure will be started for the
sake of safeness of everyone. And aside from that, many life will be bring to danger when some
catastrophic event will happen because the structure may easily destruct since you didnt know if
it is properly designed and followed on the structural codes. So in conclusion, the choices he
must choose are between the 2nd and the 3rd.

In the fundamental canon number 2 which said Engineers shall issue public statements only in
an objective and truthful manner, he must choose the 2nd option. He must tell the truth to the
owner that the project will be delayed and he must think and make other feasible solution to still
meet some deadlines on the gantt chart. Its our duty to be honest in anything we will do and said
so theres nothing to be worry, and for the sake of our dignity and our beloved profession as said
on the fundamental canon no. 6. Based on the fundamental canon no. 4, the civil engineer shall
avoid conflict of interests with his clients so if he choose the option no. 3 and the owner didnt
agree about it because he wants to still finished the project without any delay, the project
manager must choose the 2nd option even it is not what he want, which is to think of any way to
still meet some deadlines for the project, because in the project, the owner must still the one who
will be obey in decision making.

Reference: Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Code of Ethics (Fundamental

Principles, Fundamental Canons, Guidelines to Practice under the Fundamental Canons of
Ethics)