Consunji, David M.
HS 1939
DECEASED
1997
DLSAA Distinguished Lasallian Awardee
DAVID M. CONSUNJI (HS '39) was appointed Acting Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Communications in 1971. Three years after martial law was declared in 1972, he resigned all his government posts because of the "irreconcilable differences in concepts of manning the Department and differences in the manner of executing projects". David was born on November 2, 1921 in Hermosa, Bataan province, and is married to Fredesvinda Almeda with whom he has eight children, three of whom are boys. He went to a public school in Bataan for his elementary studies, graduated from high school at La Salle in 1938, and from the University of the Philippines in 1946 with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as a humble inspector in the construction of the Kuenzle and Streiff building, where he received a monthly pay of P400. He continued as a concrete inspector for Philippine Remnants but at the salary of P1,200. He learned the construction business, and late in 1954 opened his own firm as a contractor under the firm name of D.M. Consunji, Inc. "I started my own business because of the challenge in the construction industry and a need for contractors with some capabilities to undertake domestic demands," he said. In short order, he became chairman of the board of directors of Freyssinet Post Tensioning System, Constress Philippines, Filipinas Cement Corporation and president of the Filipino Contractors International Corporation. In 1958, the Business Writers of the Philippines selected him "Contractor of the Year". President Marcos named him Acting Secretary of Public Works and Communications in 1971, and he became a high official in various government entities, such as the Presidential Committee on Housing and Urban Development, the National Irrigation Administration, the Water Resources Committee, the National Economic and Development Authority, and the Bicol River Basin Council. (La Salle: 1911-1986 by Carlos Quirino)