Pioneer OFWs: The First Filipino Construction Workers in the Middle East

DMCI Founder Engr. David M. Consunji (left) at one of DMCI’s construction sites in the Middle East in the late 1970s. (A Passion to Build: A Memoir of David M. Consunji)

Did you know? 

The very first Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) deployed in the 1970s helped build roads, bridges, and skylines across the Middle East. 

DM Consunji, Inc. (DMCI), the Philippines’ builder of landmarks, was part of the pioneering wave of Filipino construction companies that ventured overseas. 

The company built roads, bridges, and flyovers all over Saudi Arabia. 

In his memoir A Passion to Build, DMCI Founder Engr. David M. Consunji said the total length of the roads and bridges the company built in the Middle East was much longer than what it built in the Philippines in 25 years. 

“Our first project in Saudi Arabia was the construction of 12 Wadi bridges with an aggregate length of about 2 kilometers, and the asphalt paving of a 120-kilometer six-lane highway, some 250 km west of Riyadh,” Engr. Consunji said. 

“I assigned Ed Palisoc (the late DMCI Executive Vice President) to be the project head. Sid (Isidro Consunji), my son (currently DMCI Holdings, Inc. Chairman) went with him as an observer. 

Engr. Consunji said workers had to endure homesickness, strict societal rules, and the challenge of building everything from scratch in the desert. 

“Our boys had a hard time in Saudi Arabia, but they also found it exciting. Most were motivated by the prospect of working overseas and being paid much more than what they would get in the Philippines for the same job.” 

“For some of them, however, the money was not worth the hardship, and they opted to go home and never go back. Being torn from their families was the hardest part of the job for these young men, many of whom were just starting to have families of their own. They were in their twenties and thirties, and most had young children back home. Homesickness was a common affliction among them.” 

Adjusting to life in Saudi Arabia was no small feat. 

“Saudi society was totally alien to Filipinos. The authorities were very strict. Everyone had to observe Islamic values and norms, and civil rights were interpreted in the light of their religion. The workers had to get used to policemen watching them at work and outside of work. Back home, they were much freer and used to having a good time after a hard day's work,” Engr. Consunji said in his memoir. 

Managing these challenges fell heavily on the project head, Ed Palisoc, the late DMCI Executive Vice President, who had to act as counselor, disciplinarian, and motivator to nearly 800 Filipino workers. 

He ensured rules were followed, sometimes making rounds in the middle of the night to check for drinking or gambling, all while keeping the team focused on their work. 

Despite the difficulties, these experiences taught DMCI valuable lessons in international work standards, project planning, and people management, preparing the company for more complex projects across the Middle East, including in Kuwait and Iraq. 

“From our base of ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia, we were able to land some contracts in other Middle Eastern countries. We did the King Faisal Motorway in Kuwait, which had four interchanges, 12 bridges of reinforced concrete and box-type girders. We completed this in 1980,” Engr. Consunji said. 

As we celebrate the Month of Overseas Filipinos, we honor our modern-day heroes’ courage, sacrifices, and the lasting legacy they created for generations of Filipino workers worldwide. 

Source: A Passion to Build: A Memoir of David M. Consunji