UP Graduates: Rage Against the UAP Pledge
It's true. Some UP board passers including people from my batch as I recall had refused to stand up and do the UAP pledge during the oath taking.
However, this phenomena was never really confined just within my batch. Word about UP graduates doing this act had been heard of even before and surely way after my batchmates had done so.
The prevailing reason was because they wanted to show that they had a choice in wether to join UAP or not. Some of them even said that they will eventually join UAP but just not during the oath taking to emphasize their right to choose.
So strong were some people's feelings in doing this act of defiance that it was never really a spur of the moment thing. A lot of the people who refused to stand for the UAP pledge had been talking about wanting to do so long before they had even taken the board exam.
Board exam review classes were oftentimes the venue for these "rebels" to espouse their cause and maybe attempt to add to their ranks.
It wasn't really clear to me if it was required of one to join the UAP during the oathtaking then since I don't know of any law that says so. However, the integration of the UAP pledge in the oath taking ceremony is somehow a very clear sign that it is required. It is not required by law though since it is also quite clear that there is no formal penalty if one decides to do a sitdown instead of doing the pledge.
The penalty has been more towards the majority of oath takers along with their family and friends who just want to experience a dignified ceremony. I must admit, the protesters do take something away from the dignity of the occasion as they sit down instead of just politely obliging standing up at least and just not mouthing off the pledge. No, that wouldn't be dramatic enough they seem to think. A sit down is more the fashion of the day for them.
The UAP pledge of course as done in past oath takings was more a de facto requirement by nature since the majority of practicing architectural professionals are members. Professional peer pressure so to speak.
Sadly for the UAP, a lot of the newly minted architects are not easily swayed by peer pressure and remain chapterless long after the last cake of the oath taking ceremony is eaten. This attrition had lead to the decline of a number of UAP chapters in many ways.
I see this as a terrible development. Personally, I think that being a UAP member and being a part of it's growth and development into professional relevancy can possibly be one of the most professional things a Filipino architect will ever do in his lifetime.
Now that the membership to the UAP is clearly mandatory as stated by RA9266, I wonder how some people would react to this. It does give more teeth to requiring architects to join the UAP but on the other hand it has given more substance to the argument of not having the freedom of choice in doing so.
posted by ben tumbling @ 8:20 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
is it the same case for AIA and RIBA? i don't think you can make real involvement mandatory. didn't we learn that in our college orgs? :) you can have a list of 50+ members and only 10 would actually be working. i think it's better for it to be a choice - that way those who join are those who are really interested, vs having a lot of members who don't really care. then again maybe professional organizations are different, e.g. it's a way for professionals to police their ranks, like a Tricycle Drivers' Organization -- di pwedeng bumiyahe kung hindi ka miyembro. but, isn't that the function of the PRC? parang nadodoble. anyway, up for discussion.
during my oath taking, yung mga taga-cebu hindi nag-participate during the UAP oath. pero hindi dahil sa choice-choice ek-ek. sabi nila, tapos na raw kase sila nag-UAP oath sa cebu. hehehehe....
The difference I suppose with other countries and the Philippines is that the AIA, RIBA, SIA, JIA, etc., aside from being professional orgnizations, are also the regulating bodies of the profession. Unlike here, the Philippines, wherein the regulating body (PRC) is different from the professional organization (UAP). The truth that we all have to admit is that many of us respect the regulating body because it's what determines, contorls our being called 'architects', the professional organization therefore becomes a matter of choice. And a matter of choice it should have remained.
The problem that the UAP faces however is not just that it doesn't have any relevant 'power' or 'authority' to speak of, but that it is also run my a bunch of power hungry halfwits craving for attention and recognition hardly deserved.
The problem that we have as a result of that is that in persisiting to assert the illusion of how powerful and important they wish to be percieved as, they force themselves upon us.
At the end of the day however, given that the law has deemed that all of us are to be part of their pathetic little organization, the dividing line between the PRC as a regulating body and the UAP as a "fellow, architects, look at how big time I am..." organization still exists. And for as long as that line exists, the only way the UAP can EVER be relevant is by going beyond this hobnobbing politcal party wannabe organization and get down to addressing the true needs of architects. Otherwise, though it can boast of having all architects be among its members, it'll be no different coz no one will still gives a shit.
... And THAT is THEIR problem!
p.s. congratulations to all the new architects!
whoa! a load of comments here... i see many of you have valid points. and i'm all for freedom of choice. but looking at the positive side, the UAP can be used as a medium of change. sure, they're not the regulating body, but, since practically all registered architects are members, it still has some oomph. and if you want to bring about change, it's as good a place to start (though i really don't know the political workings of these organizations) heck, we all know how the local industry sucks. we gripe, moan, and bitch about it almost every single day. and i see a lot of good coming from all that hot air. remember the saying, if you can't beat them, join them. my take is: if you can't beat them, join them, and in the end, make them join YOU. as kons likes to say, change from within, one step at a time. refusing to take the pledge of allegiance to the "official" organization does little to change the thing you people are against. sure, it makes the "powers that be" think, but it also bruises their egos, and brands you as insolent and disrespectful. and what good does THAT do? you want to get them on YOUR side, and make them see YOUR points. not just to be marked as a public enemy.
be a mole. get on the inside, and manipulate their thinking (this is not as hard as it sounds, trust me.) of course, being big old farts they will be resistant to change. but if you tell them that not changing with the times will threaten their existence as an organization (and together with it, their bragging rights), they will start to listen. and they might even consider our new ideas.
you have to make the organization work for you. of course, you'll also have to work for it. you can't always expect to be at the winning end. otherwise, you might as well be one of those puffed-up self-important people that you despise.
"nakanamamboogie", where did you get your facts? The AIA, RIBA, and others like it do not regulate the practice of architecture. A board of architecture in their respective localities does that. I know because I'm a member of the AIA and I have worked with RIBA. The other organizations, all members of UIA as is the UAP, share similar structures.
Furthermore, your conceptions of what the UAP and its members are is very misleading to the point of being just plain mean.
Sure there would always be some bad apples among the bunch but to generalize the whole UAP as what you called it is very irresponsible of you.
A lot of UAP members are genuinely working for the raising of the quality and practice of the local architecture profession. I know this as a fact. I've worked with many of them before when I was in the Philippines and a member of UAP myself.
It's true, there was a movement to create a party list before by architects. That was done to lobby the interests of architects and not as a self-serving act. It was supported by the UAP because having that party win (which it did not) would mean having a voice for architects in the legistlation. The party list candidate was made of UAP and non-UAP members alike (some were members of PIA etc.). It is not the UAP itself. Where did you ever get the idea of the UAP being a "political party wannabe"? Please get your facts straight before flinging poo all over the place.
If you really knew the UAP and its members at all you would see that a vast majority of UAP activities has always been towards the advancement of the Filipino architectural profession. Yes, we do have our fun and games too but we think we deserve that because we work our butts off inspite of people "not giving a shit" as you said. We've gone through a lot of hoops just to get RA9266 out for example. We've been working on that one for years. It was actually still a rough draft when I was a member and we would debate on it and study it to make sure we did it right.
Of course it's not perfect. I actually don't agree with some of the things in there but it is generally a tight document. There are some lapses in it of course but I'm sure that as long as there are people who "give a shit" and join the UAP those things would be ironed out eventually.
Here's a question: If nobody "gives a shit" about the UAP why is it THEIR problem alone as you said? Why not take responsibility and make it your own as well.
This question is addressed to ben tumbling.
Does membership in the AIA or the RIBA require the architect to be registered within the US or the UK?
Does registration as an architect in the US require undergoing a degree program accredited by the NAAB?
I wish to correct your facts, for my batch at least. I was one of those who did not stand up during the UAP oath taking ceremonies. Well, to put it more correctly, we were told to sit down. The UAP oath comes right after the architect’s oath, but instead of doing the pledge one after the other in order to preserve the solemnity of the occasion, we were all told to remain standing only if we have signed up with the UAP earlier. Boy, there we were sitting down uncomfortably while the rest of our smiling batch mates were being honored by their new organization. Whoever tainted the solemnity of the occasion it was not those who “chose” to sit down. No, we did not take anything away from the dignity of the occasion; it was the organization that regarded us unworthy to take part in their “special oath taking”. And by the way, that was our first taste of discrimination as professional architects.
If I was just one of your average architects going thru the process of a formal oath taking ceremony, was it my fault that I did not go with the long line of new and eager architects signing up for the UAP? Was it my fault that I chose not to part with my 500 pesos for a newsletter, an ID number or whatever they were giving you in return? Was it my fault that I had already other plans for the only money I got at that time? Or was it my fault that the only money I got in my pocket was enough for me to get back home? Maybe it was really my fault that I had not prepared for such an emergency, or that I did not bother to ask if there will be a UAP registration at the gates. Maybe I’m just one of those overly cautious people who don’t jump on every long line that they see. Me? Actually I had the money but I’d rather study first what I was signing up for (heck, there might be a hidden clause there somewhere that you’ll be rounded up afterwards as grooms to a mass wedding).
I made my choice back then and the UAP lost no time to treat me differently because I did not make the one that would have made them happy. Happy for signing in one more member that would support them instead of the PIA, and happy for another 500 bucks earned.
Four years passed before I finally decided to join the UAP and am now part of our chapter’s board of directors. As for some of my batch mates (now officemates) who took their UAP oath four years ago, they still don’t have a chapter, have stopped subscribing to architectoscope, have forgotten their UAP id number, and still have no clue as to what their 500 pesos got them.
kb, I don't think "correcting (my) fact", even for your batch alone is necessary. I said that the matter of choice thing was the "prevailing reason" for some and not all UP graduates. As far as I know, I didn't make a sweeping statement. I truly hope it didn't seem that way because I didn't intend it to be.
I did hear about the oath takings where people were told that they weren't required to stand up if they didn't sign up for UAP.
Personally I think that is the better thing to do. It makes it clear that one is not required to join the UAP and pledge to it if they don't want to or have not done so yet.
Just making a general announcement for ALL people to stand up and do the UAP pledge during the oath taking will be awkward for both the people who stood up and those who will choose to sit down. It will take some dignity away from the rites because there will be a sense of tension.
If the announcement then is made for only people who have joined UAP to stand up and do the UAP pledge then it changes the context does it not? Sitting down during the pledge by people who did not join would be expected then. I feel sorry for you then that you felt discriminated against but I'm not so surprised that you were. After all, like I said, it was somehow a situation of "professional peer pressure".
It is extremely difficult to go against the majority even if having to go against the majority was beyond your control (i.e. you wouldn't have gone against the majority if you had the money to join them in the first place). There is certainly room for feelings of rejection and discrimination in that scenario. It's just human nature.
Of course it wasn't your fault for whatever reason you didn't sign up the first time but you have to keep things in perspective about this: it's not about finding fault, it shouldn't be because it's supposed to be about making a choice.
That is why the mandatory thing is not a good thing as I had said so many times.
Your experience about joining the UAP much later as opposed to your peers who did so during the oath taking make Poni's statement that "you can't make involvement mandatory" so much clearer. You just can't.
Congratulations on your becoming part of your chapter's board of directors. I hope you guys do a lot of good.
Raymond,
You don't have to be a registered architect or a graduate of an NAAB accredited school in the US to join the AIA.
There are different kinds of AIA memberships. Aside from the regular membership (only for U.S. licensed architects)and becoming a fellow (only by election), you can choose to be an associate member (for interns and allied professionals or basically any U.S. citizen/resident who wants to be a member) or an international associate member (same as associate member but you are either not a U.S. citizen/resident or are already a licensed professional in another country but not licensed in the U.S.).
If you want more information, just check the AIA website.
Raymond,
About RIBA membership (I almost forgot to answer this part of your question), basically if you are an AIA member there is reciprocity. There is also reciprocity for JIA, SIA, etc. (not for UAP or PIA though).
There are also different levels to RIBA membership (i.e. student, graduate, etc.). They generally have a lot more requirements in comparison to AIA for you to become a member at any level. There is however the Affiliate member level which is almost the equivalent of the "associate" membership in AIA which basically boils down to just having an interest in joining as the requirement.
Thanks for answering my questions.
I'll check out the websites for more info.
nakanamamboogie, I just read my reaction to your comment again today. I think I may have been too harsh in my words but that is just the way I felt about the issue. It just occured to me that your experiences with the UAP is of course different from mine. I didn't mean to invalidate your feelings about the UAP. I hope you keep commenting or even post something soon. You're views are of course very welcome whatever they may be.
As for me, I'll try my best to behave better. I don't want to contribute to any air of tension here. It's very counterproductive.
Good day.
nakanamamboogie, can we just call you "boogie" for short? or junjun? or macmac? heheh
Kenneth Barrientos, so you're "kb", hahaha.
It's funny that I remember that all of us UP guys at our table actually stood up during the UAP oath taking. You did mention that you actually planned on not standing up because you didn't join yet but we all stood up together anyway because we were in front of everyone else and it was somehow embarassing not to.
If you didn't stand up then, I guess my memory is a bit faulty.
Why don't you post your two international competition entries here? The mobile AIDS clinic and the World Trade Center Memorial. I think the people here will appreciate them.
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