Industry veteran and JCVA co-founder and advisor, Engineer Reynaldo Dela Cruz, reminds us that ambition and dreams don’t mean anything without integrity.
Meet the ambitious man yet remarkably genuine mentor who co-founded JCVA and how his over 50 years of experience guides us to achieving success.
A Dream that Built the Man
Rey realized that he was meant to follow his father’s footsteps after being inspired by his projects.
Rey obtained his degree from Mapua Institute of Technology, where he moved forward with the drive and determination to achieve his dream. His early career, as he recalls, was one he considers himself fortunate to be able to attain at a young age. One of his first projects was The Philippine International Convention Center and The Secretariat Building located at the Cultural Center Complex (CCP) under a prominent construction company, David M. Consunji Inc (DMCI). "This greatly increased my knowledge in the construction Industry because DMCI uses the modern method in the construction industry," Rey recalls.
"After this project, I was hired as a Project Manager for the Construction of the NIAA Passenger Terminal Building. I was then the youngest Project Manager at age 27 years old, and most of the Project managers of CDCP were 45 and above."
Achieving new heights
Although many opportunities opened up for Rey after his time with the firm, he pursued new endeavors by expanding his skills and knowledge overseas.
"I worked on many overseas projects [in] Saudi Arabia, USA, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Sudan. I saw that their construction industry is more modernized ," he shares.
The executive may have pursued taking his career elsewhere for the time being but maintains deep connections to the Philippines.
On his return, he lead and executed many projects we see today:
Icon Plaza Building in BGC, Taguig City
Eton Centris BPO Building 1 in Quezon City
Eton Greenbelt Residences in Makati City
Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City
EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City
Rufino Pacific Tower in Ayala Ave., Makati City
Wack Wack Residences Building in Mandaluyong City
Richmonde Hotel in Mandaluyong City
Philippine International Convention Center in Roxas Boulevard, Manila
Robinsons Place Manila in Ermita, Manila
SM Southmall in Las Pinas City
TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong City
Laguna International Industrial Park in Laguna
Montevista Subdivision in Tagaytay City
In 2011, Rey took on a multi-billion peso project for a local conglomerate where he met Engr. Jason C. Valderrama. Their similar vision towards building better businesses brought both men closer together, and in 2014, JCVA was established.
To this day, Engr. Dela Cruz is a significant member of the company and remains as JCVA’s strategic advisor focused on ground-up projects.
Engr. Dela Cruz’s legacy as a leader
His experience in his youth allowed him to put his acquired knowledge into practice and apply it to his leadership. "To encourage collective thinking, I let my engineers do the planning, organizing, and control of the project by group discussions." He continues, "My belief was that they should experience in actual situation their jobs to learn the trick of the trade by themselves."
Engr. Dela Cruz knew he had to lead by example, which navigated his choices in the profession.: "To be a real leader, it meant allowing others to lead as well."
Another belief that guided Engr. Dela Cruz after being almost 50 years in the industry was the need for preparedness. We can harken his attitude towards his career back to his father's determination to put up a business that he knows can not only support his children's education but provide for their future families as well. Indeed, luck favors the prepared.
Rey believes that 90% planning and 10% implementation were behind his success.
At the core of his planning were the 5 Ms: Manpower, Materials, Machines, Methods, and Money. These tools became the key to determining efficiency, profitability, and quality in every project, whether it is a project that is residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial.
The foundation that Eng. Rey was built on
"The way I see it now, the construction industry is now becoming similar to the political industry. The politicians are now controlling the construction industry, especially government construction projects," Rey claims.
"There is [also] corruption in the construction industry because of the greed for money and power. That is why I emphasize that a leader should be honest and trustworthy."
Due to the pandemic, many aspiring professionals and their families grow frustrated with two years of postponing examinations, we urged Engr. Dela Cruz to leave us with some words of wisdom.
"I believe that life has to be a balance of ambition and compassion––do big things but never forget to live with integrity," Engr. Dela Cruz says.
Learn more about the people that helped build JCVA into the industry marvel it is today: