The PRC Modernization Act

The following are some of the highlights of the modernization of the PRC:
1. Tie up with the NSO, so that applicants can get authentic birth / marriage certificates thru the PRC;
2. Reduction until total elimination of the I.D. backlog, with the addition of new printers;
3. Introduction of on-line renewal of PRC I.D.s;
4. Inquiry via text about your profession via PRC Text;
5. The adoption of international standards, the creation of C.P.E. (Continuing Professional Education) Councils;
6. Improved website: www.prc.gov.ph;
7. Introduction of walk-in licensure examinations, starting off with the Maritime Licensure Examination.

An Introduction to the Report

"You will think about the changes in the profession even before you go to sleep tonight..."

That is what the host of the forum said to us. And we did talk about it. It's empowering yet its nerve wracking.

The Architecture Law has been passed last March 17, 2004.

The "UAP Matatag Chapter" composed of Noel, Jeck, Jot and myself attended the Makati Forum No. 1 which focused on four topics: the recently passed Architecture Law, the Construction Arbitration Law, the Modernization of the PRC and changes to be done to the National Building Code. It was done at the Milky Way Cafe in Makati. After buying McDonalds for the forum, we decided to register first then eat our dinner before the event. But upon reaching the function room, we found out that....dinner's free. "Hide the Evidence!!!"

So why am I writing the report on the forum in an informal manner? Because that is how the UAP Chapter planned the event. They had a sofa and several chairs laid out at one corner of the room and focused spotlights, like in a talk show.

Personalities in Attendance...(limited to those I got to note correctly =) )
Robert Sac, UAP NAtional President
Architect Villarosa, PIA President
Eugene Gan, BOA Chairperson
Bobby Mañosa
Raul Locsin

The event went smoothly, lasting for three hours. Focus was given on the Architecture Law, mostly on the new limitations to be introduced for all trades in the building industry, as to the extent of involvement of the interior designer, the engineer, the architect and the planner.

Next...the Construction Arbitration Law.

New Architecture Act Approved

Last 17 March 2004, President GMA signed into law the Architecture Act
of 2004 (to be referred to hereinafter as Republic Act 9266), which
effectively repeals RA 545 (of 1950) and RA 1581 (of 1956).

The UPCA Alumni Foundation, Inc. (UPCAAFI) and some UPCA Alumni
actively lobbied for the passage of this new law.

What remains next are the following:
1) the publication of the law in a national broadsheet so that it could
finally become effective;
2) the drafting, approval and promulgation of its Implementing Rules
and Regulations (IRR) which include UAP Documents 200 through 208; the
effort is now being spearheaded by the UAP; and
3) the creation of the Integrated and Accredited Professional
Organization (IAPO) for Architects in which the UPCAAFI could become an active
member together with the UAP, the PIA and other architectural
organizations/associations such as the Architecture Advocacy International
Foundation (AAIF), Inc. which all actively lobbied for the law's passage.

Job Vacancies

Project Based AutoCAD Draftspersons for Torsten Calvi

Our Office is in need of 4 AutoCAD Draftspersons for our Hongkong
Disneyland project.

Project duration is from 3 weeks to about 6-8 weeks.

We offer a competitive salary... i think you won't be disappointed.

So anyone, who is not doing anything right now, waiting for the
boards or waiting for regular work, you can contact me - Monette
Peraz at our office - Professor Torsten Calvi Corporation, 2203 Antel
2000 Building, 121 Valero St. Salcedo Village, Makati City, 7521854,
887-6051 or email - mailroom@t..., fax - 7521855
attention - MONETTE PERAZ

you'll be required to take a proficiency exam, and ill be
interviewing, our boss will be here on thursday morning to finalize
the compensation arrangements... medyo rush, kasi work will start on
Friday, March 26,2004 (the Disneyland people will also be arriving on
this date). Office hours is 9am-6pm.

If you're interested, then just send us your resume. Thanks.

Monette (benefrida@yahoo.com)

P.S. Aida Frijas is working in our office, if you know her, you can
ask her about the details also.



Scaled Models & 3D graphics Specialist for Jeddah Firms


2 offices looking for people to staff their project, contract, min - 2
years...

please submit a proposal for salary and others...
also a recent/updated CV
samples of work, pics os scaled models... sample rendering.

tip: taasan nyo salary, papayag yun depende sa galing!

Ulysses (cgarchitect@hotmail.com)

Airline Halts Plan for Lip-Shaped Urinals

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Virgin Atlantic Airways on Friday scrapped plans to install bright-red urinals shaped like women's open lips at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, saying it had received complaints they were offensive.

READ MORE

Zaha Hadid First Woman to Win Pritzker Prize

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For the first time in its 25-year history, the coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize has been won by a woman, a Baghdad-born designer whose relatively small collection of Modernist works has vaulted her into the top league of a profession dominated by men.

Read More

UAP and PIA: Architects Unite to Amend Law

The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), an Asean Association for Planning and Housing (AAPH) Institutional Member, and the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA), met in plenary during the Architects Forum to jointly finalize the draft of the proposed amendments to Republic Act 545 or the Architects Law.

In a show of unity and friendship, the two organizations appeared before the Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation of the Lower House of Congress during the first deliberation of the law for the 12th Congress on February 13, 2002 and submitted their joint proposal.

There are five proposed major amendments to the Architects Law. The first is the definition of "Accredited Professional Organization" or APO proposed by the PIA and accepted by the UAP based on the premise that the APO is the United Architects of the Philippines without prejudice to existing voluntary professional associations such as the Philippines Institute of Architects and that all architects are mandated to be members of the APO.

The second amendment is on the definition of the general practice of architecture which confirms the definition in the original law and integrates the international definition of architecture practice by the Union of International Architects in the light of globalization.

The third amendment is on corporate practice which would be allowed provided that only persons properly registered and licensed as architects may among themselves form a corporation.

The fourth amendment allows foreign nationals to perform professional services for as long as the following conditions are satisfied: that the foreigner is a citizen of a country that specifically permits Filipino professionals to practice within their territorial limits; that he is legally qualified to practice architecture in his own country and his expertise is necessary and advantageous to the Philippines; that he will work with a Filipino counterpart; and he shall secure the required permits from the PRC and the DOLE.

In the public interest and to safeguard life, health and property, the fifth amendment enjoins all architects to maintain a program of continuing professional development.

UAP Makati Chapter Forum No. 1 ARCHITECTS IN FLUX

You are cordially invited to

UAP Makati Chapter Forum No. 1 ARCHITECTS IN FLUX

A VENUE TO DISCUSS CURRENT ISSUES AFFECTING THE PRACTICE AND TO HELP
FIND WAYS TO ADVANCE THE ARCHITECURAL PROFESSION IN AN EVER CHANGING
PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT!

March 25, 2004 (Thursday)
7:00 PM
Registration starts at 6:30 PM
Venue: Banquet Hall, 2F Milky Way Cafe
Arnaiz Ave. cor Paseo de Roxas, Makati City


FOUR (4) TOPICS OF INTEREST, READY TO BE DISCUSSED AND THOUGHT ABOUT:

1. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2004 ARCHITECTURE LAW
to be presented by Archt. Armando Dominador N. Alli, fuap
Member, UAP Legislation Committee (2000-04)
Chairman, UAP Committee on Ethics
Trustee, Architecture Advocacy International
Foundation (AAIF), Inc.

2. THE PRC MODERNIZATION ACT
to be presented by Dr. Leonor T. Rosero, DMD
PRC Commissioner-Office of Legal Affairs
Professional Regulatory Commission

3. THE CONSTRUCTION ARBITRATION LAW (EO 1008)
to be presented by Archt. Felicitas A. Pio Roda
President & CEO - ASIAN TECHNICON
Managers & Consultants, Inc.

4. A 15 MINUTE INRODUCTION TO THE 2004 AMENDED RULES AND REGULATIONS
OF THE NATIONAL BUILDING CODE (PD 1096)
to be presented by Archt. Lorenzo P. Espeleta, fuap and
Archt. Elmor V. Vita, fuap
Members, DPWH National Building Code Review
Committee (NBCRC)
Members, DPWH Board of Consultants (BoC)
Trustees, Architecture Advocacy International
Foundation (AAIF), Inc.

Our esteemed Colleagues in the Profession as Panel of Reactors:

1. Archt. Richeto Alcordo, fuap
2. Archt. Francisco Manosa, fuap
3. Archt. Raul Locsin, fuap
4. Archt. Jaime Marquez, fuap
5. Archt. Andy Villarin, fpia
6. Archt. Ernie Zarate, fpia

This is our opportunity to learn about the changes and developments
affecting our profession, air our views and be heard.

Architects and graduates are welcome to attend.
FREE ADMISSION, LIMITED SEATS, PLEASE COME EARLY.

CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE IN ADVANCE:
By responding to this email or you may contact:
Archt. Annabelle Sotto - 7119572, 09194103964
Archt. Elwin Buenaventura - 6378596-99, 09185622501

UAP National Convention: Attend tayo, uy!

With the theme, "Rising to the Challenges of a New World (COnvergence and Divergence)", the UAP will hold its 30th National Convention and Annual Business Meeting on April 15-17, 2004 at the Manila Hotel. Nyak nyak nyak! Sounds like a news report for a school paper. Hahaha... :P

Basta, if you want to join, register before March 30 para P2,500 lang ang fee. Beyond that date (late registration, kumbaga), P5k na ang bayad. For non-members, P8k ang bayad. Shucks! Sabi nga ni Trix, "Fees are crippling!" Pero sabi nga nung mga kasama ko sa work, "It's for professional growth." ;)

Reunion na rin 'to for some of us. I think Corina will also attend. Ate Ligs naman, not sure. Sige na.... Sama na....

china's building boom

In scale and pace, the building boom currently sweeping over China has no precedent in human history. China is spending about $375 billion each year on construction, nearly 16 percent of its gross domestic product. In the process, it is using 54.7 percent of the world's production of concrete, 36.1 percent of the world's steel, and 30.4 percent of the world's coal.

See more in Architectural Record's special feature on China.

rebuild or leave to ruin?

ROME -- The Colosseum will come full circle if one septuagenarian Roman gets his way. Architect Carlo Aymonino wants to rebuild the outer wall of the world's most famous amphitheater, once rocked by earthquakes and quarried to build other glories in the Eternal City.

"It wouldn't be an Italian Disneyland. In fact it would be the exact opposite -- a careful scientifically correct reconstruction," the 78-year-old told Reuters in an interview.

More from the Reuters article...

An Essay for your Thoughts

The following is an old essay by U.P. College of Architecture alumnus Bobby Manasan. The essay deals with the issue of race within the architectural profession. I do understand that the issue of race is not really much of a factor in a relatively "color blind" society which we enjoy in the Philippines but I believe this essay is nonetheless worth taking time to read.

This essay, more than the race issue, gives us a glimpse of how it is that a person can truly "own" his professional development by having a genuine love and desire for his profession and it is this message that I believe is truly relevant especially during these times.

How often now do we hear more and more architecture graduates always playing the blame game in the deterioration or stagnation of architectural development in the country? It's usually the board exam that is often the usual suspect. It's a hurdle for sure and a required one at that, some would even go so far as to say that it is merely "a necessary evil", but is this the right mind set?

Did we ever stop and wonder that all the things we are bemoaning about in the profession might have something to do with the majority of us, yes I said "us", cheating on our internship periods? Yes people, we have blood on our hands.

Here is the fact: a lot of us actually participate in the sham of creating a fictional history of supposed divesified experience instead of actually having a history of diversified experience. And to think a lot of so-called "board exam review schools" actually facilitate this.

Well, some of us actually do take the time to try to fulfill the required diversified experience but how many of us can truly say that we did not just sail through it and that we really put our hearts into it? I don't think a lot of us can truly claim that it is the desire for perfection of one's craft and not the supposed promised land of licensure that drives us through the internship process.

All this in the name of doing away with the "necessary evil" as soon as possible and claim our "rightful" places in architecture heaven. All this because we feel we are beyond the board exam. All this because the finish line looks better than the journey.

Anyway, before this introduction becomes as long as the essay itself, here it is. I wish you read this to the finish...... but more than that, I wish you enjoy the "journey" of reading it as well.......:

My Man, Friday

In 1972, after working there for 7 years, I moved from Connecticut to Virginia to work for another architectural-engineering company. There I met a teenaged black youth, recently graduated from high school. He was a very enthusiastic, handsome, friendly, hard-working, all-smiles kind of a guy. He was the company gofer - he ran
errands for everyone in the company - he was the print boy, he replaced burned-out bulbs, made and served coffee to the bosses, ran out for their sandwiches at lunch, the courier who hand-delivered documents to other firms and company clients and washed the company cars. He showed dedication and love for his work. It seemed that he
enjoyed whatever he was asked to do. He was unlike most menial workers who hated their jobs and the people who lorded over them. He was always ready to do anyone in the office a favor when asked, and always he flashed his engaging smile.

During his free times, between errands, he loved to sit down and learn drafting. He would take a pencil and with the T-square and triangles he would copy the plans and details of the project working drawings lying around. He would ask the draftsmen sitting next to him what the symbols represented. He was a dry sponge ready to absorb everything he could learn.

It soon became apparent to everyone over time that he had acquired the basic skills of a trained draftsman. Little by little he would be asked to help on the projects to meet deadlines. I grew to admire and respect his abilities and talents that I asked a company principal that he be assigned permanently to work on my project team. I became his mentor. I was only a dozen years older than he was.

We worked together like the master and apprentice in the medieval craft guilds of olde England. I passed on everything I knew to him as time went by. On some projects I would send him out to the construction site to appreciate the reality of the lines he drew on paper. Later on I would send him to attend the project meetings between the Contractors and our Clients as our company representative. He was in his mid 20s by then and he thrived on the challenges of the higher responsibilities he was given. He never shirked from them, in fact he kept asking for more.

After several years, he assumed the virtual leadership of my project team. With his acquired knowledge and varied experience it was his turn to mentor the young graduate architects who joined our team. He would explain the details of the projects with them and tell them what are needed to be done. Though a young black man with just a high school education he completely earned their respect and trust. Over time he learned the architectural profession upside down and inside out.

In Virginia, as in many US states, someone who has gained ten years of architectural knowledge and experience through work apprenticeship is allowed to take the professional board exams upon the recommendation of the company one worked for. He applied for it, passed the exams, and earned the title of a Registered Architect.

He left us soon after to join another company as their Chief of Architectural Production. He took charge of all the working drawings for the projects of the firm. He decided on what are needed to be shown and how to show them. He set the standard operating procedures for the company. Just below the level of company principals, he shared equal responsibilities with another architect who was their Chief of Design. He was on his way to becoming a very important man.

Years later he left that firm to join an international architectural-engineering company, with projects all over the world, as their Principal-in-Charge of institutional projects. He supervised his teams of many project architects working on different projects, among them the planned renovations to the Pentagon building. He was a rare black executive in the rarefied corporate world of white managers.

I have always thought of him as my younger brother. Whenever we can, we go to lunch to update each other on our lives. His only son had graduated from college, the first in his family. His father was a railroad yard worker.

I am unsure about the place of race and history in the lives of men. If I knew the History of Slavery I probably would have inspired him to hate the people who enslaved his race. He probably would have become another impassioned activist trying to lead his people into liberation from the exploitation and subjugation by their evil masters, just like Revs. Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. But I was an architect and all I could teach him was how to become a good one. I saw him as a man, not a black man carrying the baggage of a despicable past. We both got to where we wanted to be not because we were brown, black, white, yellow or red, or our forebears were subjugated and exploited by the white man. It was the inevitable result of hard work and dedication to learning. We had overcome.