Alice Eduardo continues her nation-building efforts as a businesswoman and philanthropist

This year for Asia’s Most Influential, we pay tribute to a hundred dynamic men and women through a comprehensive list of luminaries, visionaries, changemakers and more. Encompassing 20 industries, these honourees are the people behind some of the country’s most impressive moments in 2023.

Despite working in a predominantly male industry, Alice Eduardo, as the president and CEO of Sta Elena Construction and Development Corporation (SECDC), has led her company to become a significant player in the country’s infrastructural development sectors. Her secret? A sincere connection to every project she works on. “I avoid the mindset that my work is merely a list of contracts,” Eduardo tells Tatler. “I cherish every project as the team’s contribution to nation-building and as fulfilment of my journey as a builder and leader.”

Since 1995, Sta Elena Construction and Development Corporation has taken on significant projects including the construction of public infrastructure like ports, harbours, bridges, roads, and power plants that supply energy to regions across the country. In recent years, they’ve achieved the herculean task of building three natural-gas-fired power plants for the Lopez Group’s First Gas—at a total project cost of over US$1.5 billion. With Germany’s Siemens, the UK’s Balfour Beatty and the Netherlands’s Ballast Nedam, Santa Elena constructed the 1,000MW Sta Rita, the 500MW San Lorenzo and the 450MW San Gabriel power plants. “I am proud
to say that Santa Elena achieved these in record time, including attaining six million safe man hours peaking at 6,000 workers,” Eduardo says.

Eduardo is well aware of her responsibility towards the Filipino community. She helms her construction company with grace and keeps in mind the betterment of her countrymen. “For a developing country on a growth trajectory such as the Philippines, a continuous, reliable supply of energy is a must,” she says. “Clean energy is the ideal, and in amounts that meet growth requirements and ensure a better quality of life for Filipinos.”

Above Alice Eduardo (Photo: Patrick Diokno)

Alice Eduardo (Photo: Patrick Diokno)

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An advocate of renewable energy, Eduardo is optimistic about the outlook of a more sustainable society. “Wind, solar and hydropower are breaking records, and renewables are now expected to overtake coal by 2025 as the world’s largest source of electricity,” she says. “Automakers have made electric vehicles central to their business strategies. Global cooperation is necessary to advance the development and adaption of renewable energy, particularly in developing countries that may lack the infrastructure and resources to make the transition on their own.”

Eduardo is also known for her charity work; her philosophy has always been to pay it forward and give back to her community. In 2014, she funded the construction of the Philippine General Hospital’s (PGH) paediatrics isolation ward for cancer patients and the dormitory for patients’ relatives. She supports several non-profit groups: Habitat for Humanity, Go Negosyo, the Philippine Red Cross, Tuloy Foundation and Caritas Manila. Eduardo has also contributed to the building of churches including the renovated San Agustin Parish in her hometown of Jaen, Nueva Ecija, and the St Michael the Archangel Church in Bonifacio Global City.

Despite the challenges facing the construction industry, which include inflation and supply chain issues, Eduardo continues to do her part as a builder—both literally and figuratively—to help the nation expand and develop new renewable energy projects. This will help create jobs, reduce energy costs over the long term, and minimise our carbon footprint. “Construction and development are as much about precision and heavy duty as they are about passion and heart,” says Eduardo. Keen to fulfil her duty to the Filipino community, Eduardo continues to prove that her heart is indeed made not of steel, but of pure gold.

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