MANILA – He recently threw the question to Bb. Pilipinas candidate Sandra Lemonon on what her insights were on the government’s Build Build Build (BBB) program, to which the aspiring beauty queen answered she had none.

“She was really honest and I appreciate that in her,” said Edgar Saavedra, Chairman and CEO of Megawide Construction Corporation.

• Clueless Binibini's painfully honest answer generates meme, sparks debate

A trending topic for days, Saavedra shared an upside to this experience was that government’s BBB program got traction.

“BBB is now well-publicized. Many now understand what it is, especially the millennials.”

The 43-year-old billionaire, ranked 31st richest Filipino by Forbes, leads Megawide Construction Corporation, an infrastructure conglomerate which runs the Mactan-Cebu’s international airport, Southwest Integrated Transport System, PPP for School Infrastructure projects, and a renewable energy firm.

Together with Indian partner GMR, it is also making a pitch to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with a $3 billion unsolicited proposal based on an 18-year concession.

• GMR-Megawide takes on 'Goliath' in bid to rebuild NAIA

‘Ang Probinsyano’

Born in Margosatubig Zamboanga del Sur, a municipality of 37,000 people, the self-made Saavedra spent his early years there.

The youngest of five siblings, Saavedra recalls his ‘Ang Probinsyano’ days and how it helped him to become who he is today.

“We were brought up by our parents na hindi super-protective. Yung environment namin, we used to play with street children. All walks of life sa probinsya. Naging independent ako early in life.”

When he turned 10, his parents decided to move him to Manila to continue his education. Fluent in Chavakano, Bisaya and Fookien, the young Saavedra then had one problem.

“I cannot speak Tagalog. Niloloko ako, punto (Bisaya) malakas eh. Walang nagturo sa akin (ng Tagalog). I helped myself learn it.”

During summer breaks, he would fly back to Zamboanga to help in the family’s shipping business – a practice he now applies to his three children, with the eldest acting as an intern in Megawide.

Business in his blood

Saavedra went on to the De La Salle University (DLSU) to take up engineering.

“My first course was electronics and communication. (But) after my first year, sabi ko mas OK ata mag-civil (engineering) na ako kasi gusto ko talaga mag-business. Back then, di ko naman alam ang semicon (semiconductors). Wala pang mga cellphones masyado noon.”

Shifting easily to Civil Engineering, he described himself as far from studious, and was more the ‘free and easy’ type.

“Irregular student ako, kasi I wanted to change my schedule. Gusto ko malaki gap ko in between (classes) para makanuod ng sine, lakwatcha. Happy-go-lucky ako (laughs),” Saavedra reminisced.

But that did not prevent him from getting good grades and passing the board, thanks to his strong math background with a solid understanding of calculus and geometry.

Throughout his years in university, his mind was in doing business. Together with college buddies Louie Ferrer and Michael Cosiquien, they set up photocopy machines in the campus and sold Christmas lights during the Yuletide season.

“We put up a Xerox photocopy machine. Dumami yun mga 8-10 units sa loob ng campus. Then we had 4-5 units pa sa bahay ko. Pag may volume, mga lecture ganun, two chapters halimbawa, yun ang gusto namin. Meron din kaming door-to-door.”

The Christmas lights were sold to faculty and staff at wholesale prices.

Ferrer, Cosiquien and another La Salle classmate would later be Saavedra’s formidable partners in building Megawide.

Word of mouth: Building Megawide

Fresh out of university, Saavedra worked in an architectural firm but quit not long after to set up Megawide with friend, Michael Cosiquien.

Their first major official project was the house of the father-in-law of Saavedra’s brother, valued at P5-million.

Many projects soon followed, helped by happy clients who spread the word about their work. But it was too fast, too soon that led to losses.

“We expanded, we were not able to control it. Daming losses. So that’s where we learned our lesson.”

The Asian financial crisis also struck. Friends repeatedly advised them not to continue – but they still did given abundant labor and cheap materials. It turned out to be a good decision later.

“Sometimes inexperience can be good. It forced us to come up with new ideas that set us apart from the rest,” shared Saavedra.

Burj Khalifa

Soon, the word of mouth on Megawide reached SMDC, which was starting to enter the vertical development segment. Henry Sy’s eldest son, Bigboy, approached Megawide and asked how they can help.

“Sabi ko, 'Boss punta tayo sa Dubai.' We did and ipinakita namin Al Burj Khalifa. The construction, methods used and how to make costs lower,” Saavedra said.

Megawide utilizes formworks and advanced precast construction technologies for faster construction time, helping lower cost and maintain high-quality finish. These were the same techniques and equipment used in building the Burj Khalifa.

“Yun din advantage namin, wala kaming traditional learnings to unlearn. Maraming mga old style and methods in Philippine construction. You need to unlearn that first. So, we resorted to the internet what technology you can use to speed up construction.”

Megawide bagged SMDC’s Grass Residences, Berkeley Residences, and Jazz Residences in Makati.

It has since diversified, gone public, and now has a market capitalization of P43 billion.

“One might say that qualities like being too young, too adventurous, not knowing enough are weaknesses that keep you from being successful. This is not true. Perhaps it is fate that brought us to this point, that our success is the work of a Greater Engineer up there.”