UAP grants chapter status to Manila Nakpil group
February 19, 2020 | By: Arch. Benjamin K. Panganiban, Jr., (first published in The Manila Times last February 18, 2020)
TO some people in the architectural profession, last Jan. 20, 2020 was just like any ordinary day. But to the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) national organization and the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA), this was a historic day and one that would be written in the books of the UAP and the PIA.
This day happens to be the chartering of the UAP Manila Nakpil Chapter, becoming the 177th chapter of the organization. The event was held at the Architectural Centre Club Inc. in Makati City.
To add to its historic significance is the fact that as the UAP National President, I was honored to confer the charter upon this new chapter and welcome its members into the ranks of prominent PIA members of the UAP.
The creation of this chapter took a while in its formation stage dating back to 2013 and on my second and last term at the UAP leadership, I was glad and thankful that several well-meaning architects and the UAP Secretariat took the time to make this event possible and considering the good relations this leadership has with other professional architectural groups including the PIA, the assimilation into one UAP chapter of this high-profile group was well-received and well-deserved.
This is the 13th chapter chartered during my second term and the 23rd chapter during my two years as president. It is already a first to charter this huge number of new chapters as UAP National President. I am glad all these new chapters were able to see the vision of unifying and uplifting the profession of architecture.
The guest speaker during this affair was no other than one of the prominent architects in the Philippines and a Gold Medal of Merit awardee of the PIA William Coscolluella (incidentally a registered member of the UAP Makati Chapter) of W. V. Coscolluella and Associates who spoke briefly on the significance of that event and then moved on to what I understood as the importance of unifying the profession among peers and professionals under the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects.
In the audience were two Professional Regulatory Commission Outstanding Professional of the Year awardees ? Carmelo Casas (2014) who is currently the president of the PIA and Arnulfo De Asis of DATEM Inc. (2019). Other significant personalities who came to witness or were part of the event were Royal Pineda of UAP Alabang Chapter, past national presidents of the PIA starting with immediate past PIA president and a good friend of mine Fred Sibug, Ma. Cynthia Naval, Alvin Vega, Heritage Conservationist Joel Rico, and another good friend of mine and elder in the profession Nepthaly Del Rosario (incidentally an elder of the UAP South Triangle Chapter).
UAP Nakpil Chapter charter officers are the following ? Nicomedes Pagulayan, president; Maundelito Florendo, vice president for programs; Mark Lester Ventosa, vice president for operations; Adonis Vie Crizaldo, secretary; Ma. Cynthia Naval, treasurer; Maria Cecilia Cadiz Vega, auditor; and Rodin Arkando Isidro and Celesta Dawn Reyes-Belmonte, directors.
My gratitude goes to the sponsoring chapter UAP La Solidaridad of District B2 headed by chapter president Joseph Gaytano and immediate past president Cesar Teodoro and their chapter members, together with the UAP Commission on Internal Affairs headed by Executive Director Corazon Fabia Tandoc, Chairman for Chapter Organization Dante Aguirre who was instrumental for making event happen, Chairman for Membership Vanessa Lagman Ledesma, Area Vice President for Area B Junar Tablan, District Director for B2 Ludel Mercene, Secretary General Ronnie Yumang, Executive Director for Sentro Arkitektura Benedict Hermoso, the chartered officers and members of the new UAP Manila Nakpil Chapter and our UAP Vice Chairman for Sentro Arkitekto Joel Rico who served as the emcee for the event.
My message to this chapter and those invited was the essence of oneness, of moving together in one direction to achieve a common goal, of thinking out of the box, in making architecture known to the public, educating society on the importance of architects, what the architect is capable of doing, and for society to choose the right professional for the job, especially in the building structures for humanity.
It is my belief that this new chapter in the UAP comes full circle in the assimilation of the various professional architectural organizations into various chapters to the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects, embracing the ideals of unification, strengthening the profession, promoting the practice and protecting the architects.
I have always encouraged architects to promote the architectural advocacy campaign, support our friends in the industry who are supporting our advocacy such as Rain of Shine, or Asian Coatings Corp. that supported this event. Architects are also urged to inculcate in the minds of society our architectural branding and specializations by repeatedly emphasizing the slogan we have launched last 2018 with much success that is “For your plans and designs, get an architect.”
3-minute #GetAnArchitect video challenge
In partnership with Nippon Paint Philippines Inc., the UAP, through the Office of the Secretary General, has just recently launched the 3-minute #GetAnArchitect Video Challenge, which intends to capture the significant milestones of every UAP chapter towards the implementation of the #GetAnArchitect advocacy campaign in their respective locality. This challenge encourages UAP chapters to prepare a three-minute documentary-video to tell the important stories that need to be told and share their experiences on how they campaigned and supported the #GetAnArchitect advocacy program.
Relative to this, all UAP chapters, local and foreign-based, are hereby enjoined to support and join in this challenge. Submission guidelines can be accessed at www.united-architects.org. Date of submission is on Feb. 29, 2020 (a link to upload the video will be provided on February 28). Judging will be March 9 to 12, and public voting (People’s Choice Awards) is on March 1 to 15 (based on number of likes). Announcement of winners will be on March 26.
The writer is the current national president of the United Architects of the Philippines and the first national president from Mindanao. He has been in the private practice for more than 34 years and is a Fellow of the UAP. He is also the first Asean and APEC architect from Davao City. He is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Mindanao and a doctor fellow of the Royal Institute of Architects Singapore and a recipient of the European Business Assembly.
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