AAA CEMEXME v 13 for press.pmd - Cemex Philippines

14 CEMEX+ME 1st Half of 2004 /MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Isidro “Sid” Consunji, The Negotiator
The Negotiator
Isidro "Sid" Consunji 55, former president of
the Philippine Constructors Association
(PCA), likes to describe his work at DM
Consunji Incorporated (DMCI) as efforts
towards strengthening the company. "I take
care of the… shaping, the strategies, the
alliances," he says.
Work is always enjoyable for
the UP Civil Engineering and
AIM-trained magnate. "I don't
like to do things if they're not
friendly and if they're not fun,"
says Sid.
Engineer Sid
Sid is the eldest son among
eight children of construction
magnate DM Consunji, a civil
engineer. “I am second to the
eldest who is a girl. After me,
there are three girls and four
boys,” says Sid.
As a child, he already
seemed to show interest towards
the construction business. “I
played with dump trucks when I
was a little boy,” he recalls.
In high school, a
guidance test taken by Sid
revealed that he was more
inclined towards a career in
medicine, law, or engineering. Sid
chose engineering. “Medicine and
law, sukat na ’yon. (Medicine and
law are exact disciplines.) Engineering
is more creative,” explains
Sid.
However, for the young
Sid, there was a bigger reason.
“Just to prove to my Dad that I
can handle engineering, I went to
engineering.”
He enjoyed his college
studies at the University of the
Philippines in Diliman. “I liked
engineering,” says Sid. “Pero may
point na napupuno ako. (But there
came a point where I had
enough.) Like, ‘I’ve learned so
much about that certain beam.
But who cares if I know so much
about that beam?’ Walang meaning
eh. (There is no meaning.).
He felt a need to study
further so he took his masters in
business at the Asian Institute of
Management (AIM). He is proud
to say that he paid for his MBA
on his own by working. “I didn’t
want my parents to pay for my
education. Minsan, nag-aabsent ako
sa school because I needed to find
money for my tuition. (Sometimes
I would miss school because
I needed to find money for my
tuition.)”
Motorpool Supervisor
Sid started as an employee at
DMCI. One of the first jobs that
he held was Motorpool Supervisor.
He remembers a time when
he ran into problems paying the
motorpool staff, and the worst
that could have happened was for
the workers to go on a strike.
What did Sid do? He “socialized”
to reach an amicable solution to
what could potentially be a
volatile situation. Sid recalls,
“Nakipag-inuman ako sa fuel
manager. Sabi ko, ‘Puwede ko ba
kayong bayaran ng kalahati muna?’
Pumayag naman.” (I invited the
fuel manager to have a drink. I
asked, ‘Can I pay you and the
staff in half first?’They agreed.)”
It was one of Sid’s first
tries at negotiation and diplomacy
and it prepared him to face other
tough personalities like those
from the banks, the government,
suppliers, etc. Through the
dealings and interactions, Sid
learned one thing: “Our society is
a society of pakikisama (compromise/adjustment).”
Good Relationship with
CEMEX
Sid notes that contractors
have had a good relationship with
CEMEX because of the
company’s efforts to protect the
interests of their customers.
“There are a lot of risks in
construction,” says Sid. “There
are weather risks, environmental
risks, political risks…We are
subject to the volatility of prices.”