In a country where corruption plagues public works, crumbling infrastructures claim lives, and vulnerable communities wait too long for safe housing and resilient systems, the responsibility of engineering calls not only licensed professionals, but even students, to rise and respond. Last September, the University of the Philippines Association of Civil Engineering Students (UP ACES) answered this challenge through their flagship event, the National Civil Engineering Summit (NCES) 2025, with the theme: Breaking Grounds: Reshaping the Core of Nation-building.

For two decades, NCES has stood as the country’s largest student-led civil engineering event, uniting thousands of students, professionals, industry leaders, and advocates. With its groundbreaking theme, NCES 2025 takes on a bold mission: to face systemic inefficiencies and societal needs not only with technical skill, but with compassion, inclusivity, and community-centered solutions.

Last September 19, the summit officially opened with Jumpstart, featuring a ribbon-cutting, summit blessing, and the traditional “Grand Pakain”. More than a festive opening, Jumpstart is dedicated to appreciating the tireless efforts of the UP Institute of Civil Engineering faculty, staff, and ACES members who made the summit possible. In honoring them, NCES opens with a call to grant the often undervalued engineers, educators and staff the long-overdue respect and fair compensation they rightfully deserve.

The following day, September 20, the Bridge Building Competition (BBC) challenged 50 teams from 23 schools to construct bridges under tight constraints. At first glance, it was simply an academic contest, but according to Miguel Enrico Naguit, one of the BBC heads, “It [BBC] is not just about building bridges, but the participants are taught in a practical sense to become efficient in how they build the strength of their bridges with the limited amount of time and materials.” 

Rising to this challenge was St. Peter the Apostle School Team A, which emerged as the 2025 BBC Champion, bringing home a ₱20,000 cash prize. With the current state of engineering in the country, where substandard materials are often used to cut costs while public funds are pocketed by contractors and politicians, UP ACES believes that shaping high school students early through BBC instills not only technical competence but also integrity and critical thinking—values essential to building structures and systems that truly outlast. 

Running throughout the summit, the Civil Engineering Exhibit blends interactive showcases and artistic interpretations to spotlight the six fields of the profession: construction and management, structural, environmental, geotechnical, transportation, and water resources and coastal engineering. “We wanted to highlight how vast and diverse the field of civil engineering is by giving the participants the opportunity to experience how civil engineering can touch their lives,” one of the exhibit heads, Mica Masiglat said, sharing their vision for the event. Among this year’s features are the Mola Structure, LocalSim Road Network Model of Bitukan and Cagayan De Oro, and the newly added painting booth. The exhibit also traces the history of UP ACES and its legacy of service, grounding the organization within the larger fight to reclaim engineering as a discipline that works for the people.

On September 24, ImmerCE: CE Laboratory Tour and CE Career Fair immersed 250 participants into the world of civil engineering through technical demonstrations and professional exposure. The Civil Engineering Laboratory Tour guided students through six stations across the UP Institute of Civil Engineering Compound: Environmental and Transportation Engineering, Construction and Management Engineering, Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Geodetic Engineering as well as special laboratory stations at UP Cristy Hernandez Activity Center featuring the Bi-axial Shake Table, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver, National Hydraulics Research Center (NHRC): Hydrostatic Force and Weirs, NHRC: Friction Losses in Pipes and Hydraulic Jump. For many participants, the tour offered rare access to instruments and facilities not readily available in their own schools. 

Running alongside was the Civil Engineering Career Fair, a three-day program bridging university and industry. It featured Gear Up, with interview simulations and resume consultations by 15 consultants from top firms; the Job Fair, with over a dozen partner companies including Aboitiz Construction, Arup, and Motolite; and Company Talks from industry leaders. The fair also addressed the realities students face beyond graduation—the challenge of employment, industry pressures, and the anxieties of navigating an uncertain future. To guide them, Career Talks included Engr. Joshua Reinz Rosendo, Top 6 of the May 2022 CE Licensure Examination, who spoke on licensure preparation, and Engr. Lurebe Mae S. Pana of TAMPEI, who highlighted how civil engineering can be purpose-driven through service in NGOs. Complementing these was the Behind the SCEnes online series, sharing candid insights and stories from practicing civil engineers.

On September 25, the National Civil Engineering Symposium stood as the most significant and urgent dialogue of the summit, gathering over 1,600 participants to look beyond blueprints and confront the human realities behind every engineering decision. In partnership with the Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI), the symposium opened discussions on affordable housing, urban resilience, and community-driven development—tackling head-on the gaps in policy, corruption in housing programs, and the struggles of marginalized Filipinos for safe and dignified shelter.

The first major talk was delivered by Architect Ryan Chai Cabañez of Palafox Architecture Group, who emphasized that “the Philippines is not overpopulated, but unevenly developed,” calling on engineers and planners to decentralize growth and extend opportunities to far-flung communities—because only then, he said, can true development be achieved.

Anchoring the day’s discourse was the advocacy panel discussion on affordable housing, where experts from multiple sectors shared the importance of aligning technical solutions with social equity. Dr. Ferdinand Germar of UP Building Research Services highlighted the need for strict compliance with the National Structural Code of the Philippines to uphold safety, especially amid recurring disasters. Dr. Dina Magnaye of the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning, urged planners to design homes that are “connected to jobs, schools, and health facilities,” while Engr. Carlo Bongcac of TAMPEI reminded participants that addressing the housing crisis requires the active involvement of every institution, guided always by integrity and compassion.

Closing the symposium, Atty. Rep. Chel Diokno of Akbayan Partylist delivered an inspirational talk titled “People at the Core: Reshaping the Nation through Integrated Engineering.” While acknowledging the difference in expertise between law and engineering, he emphasized a shared purpose that transcends professions—the duty to serve the Filipino people.

“Pareho-pareho tayong mamamayang Pilipino, and I hope that because of that, we have something in common to fight for,” he said.

In his call for transparency and accountability in governance, Atty. Diokno also urged decisive action against corruption:

“Buksan na ang SALN ng lahat ng opisyal ng ating pamahalaan… Hangga’t walang pananagutan, balewala ang mga imbestigasyon. Kaya ang huli nating panawagan—ikulong na ang mga ‘yan!”

Finally, the National Civil Engineering Quiz (NCEQ) on October 6 concluded the five-day summit, gathering 85 teams from across the Philippines in a test of mastery and drive. Rising to the summit was Cebu Technological University – Dumanjug Extension Campus, the 2025 NCEQ Champion, taking home the revolving trophy and a Php 60,000 cheque.

Behind NCES is not a corporate organization nor a government agency, but the student members of UP ACES. With 15 event heads and 16 ad hoc committees working tirelessly for months despite heavy academic workloads, they prove that even as students, they  can already contribute to nation-building. 

With the 21st NCES, UP ACES closes the two decades of groundwork and opens a new era of people-centered engineering. Its foundations rest not on concrete or steel, but on the courage of students who break new grounds and reshape the core Philippine engineering.