Hands that build: Construction’s missing gear

‘In our training center alone, we have a backlog of hundreds of operators waiting to be assessed.’

The machines may do the heavy lifting in construction, but for Abigail “Abi” S. Mancilla, the industry’s biggest challenge is finding enough qualified people to operate them.

As president of the Association of Carriers and Equipment Lessors Inc. (ACEL), Mancilla is pushing for a stronger, better-trained Filipino workforce amid a growing shortage of certified heavy equipment operators and the continuing migration of skilled workers overseas.

Her path to industry leadership, however, did not begin in construction.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, Mancilla initially worked as an educator before moving into corporate leadership and the equipment inspection and certification sector.

Her background in education later became relevant to her work in developing people, strengthening professional standards and promoting skills development in an industry that relies heavily on technical expertise.

She also serves as president of First Philippine Skills and Equipment Testing Corp. (FPSET), a Department of Labor and Employment-accredited third-party organization specializing in heavy equipment inspection, safety performance audits and operator certification.

Under her leadership, FPSET provides inspection and certification services for equipment used in construction, mining, industrial, transport and offshore operations.

Mancilla’s involvement with ACEL dates back to 2014, when she became a director.

Over the years, she has witnessed firsthand the difficulties companies face in building and retaining a qualified workforce.

During DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk interview, where she appeared alongside ACEL first vice president Sixto Benedicto and director and Manpower Development and Certification chairman Dio Agoncillo, Mancilla discussed how the shortage of skilled workers has persisted despite years of industry efforts to address it.

Backlog amid a large labor pool

“In our training center alone, we have a backlog of hundreds of operators waiting to be assessed,” she said.

The problem, she explained, goes beyond the number of people willing to undergo training.

Low local wages, expensive training requirements and the limited number of accredited assessors have made it difficult to produce enough certified operators to meet the industry’s growing needs.

One particularly pressing concern is the migration of trained Filipino workers to countries offering more competitive compensation.

Companies often shoulder the cost of training their personnel, only to lose them to overseas employers once they acquire the necessary skills.

The challenge is compounded by the construction industry’s difficulty attracting younger workers, many of whom gravitate toward office-based employment rather than physically demanding fieldwork.

For Mancilla, developing the workforce requires looking beyond training programs and certifications.

It also means making construction a more attractive career option for Filipinos and demonstrating that skilled technical work can offer opportunities for professional growth and financial stability.

ACEL has been working with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and several member companies to explore simulator-based training as one way to address the cost and accessibility of operator development.

The technology is currently being used for the renewal assessment of existing operators, while its application to new certifications remains under study.

The organization is also working to modernize training regulations and competency standards, some of which have remained largely unchanged for 30 to 40 years.

Among the areas being addressed are lifting and rigging, earthmoving, tunneling and mining operations.

Beyond workforce development, Mancilla also leads an association whose work helps establish industry references for equipment rental and costing.

ACEL, which represents companies engaged in heavy equipment rental and sales, has 160 regular and associate members nationwide, with chapters in Cebu and Davao.

One of its established industry references is the Equipment Rental Rates Guidebook, whose 27th edition was released in 2025. The publication serves as a baseline for contractors, government agencies and other stakeholders in estimating equipment costs for infrastructure projects.

Mancilla explained that preparing the guidebook requires extensive review and coordination with industry players and government agencies to account for factors such as equipment specifications, fuel prices, foreign exchange movements and operating costs.

The association also participates in technical seminars under the Philippine Constructors Association’s PhilConstruct activities, tapping industry practitioners and member-company experts to share specialized knowledge with engineers, operators and other construction professionals.

Serving as ACEL president for the 2025 and 2026 terms, Mancilla leads the organization as it marks its 60th anniversary, reflecting its continuing role in the country’s construction and equipment sector.

Her professional development has also included programs in leadership, occupational safety and health, inspection and certification, as well as training with Dale Carnegie and participation in industry activities such as CONEXPO in Las Vegas. She is also certified in ISO 9001:2015 Awareness and ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor.

From her beginnings as an educator to her current responsibilities in corporate and industry leadership, Mancilla’s career has taken her into a field where developing people is just as important as maintaining the equipment that powers construction.

As the Philippines pursues more ambitious infrastructure and industrialization goals, her work underscores a fundamental requirement: Building projects also means building the capabilities of the people who make them possible.