MESSAGES
EDRIC MARCO C. FLORENTINO,
fuap, apec ar., asean ar.
President, PFPA
On behalf of the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations (PFPA), the umbrella organization of forty-three (43)
Accredited Professional Organizations (APOs) recognized by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), allow me to convey my
most cordial felicitations to the general membership, participants, organizers, exhibitors and sponsors of the 41st UAP National
Convention and Conex 2015 to be held on April 16-18, 2015 with the theme: “Empowering Architects Towards Asean Integration”.
The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) plans steps toward full economic integration among its 10-member countries with
600 million residents and 285 million workers this year, including free mobility of professionals and highly skilled workers. To
realize the full potential of the AEC to deliver more and better jobs, decisive action is necessary, including better management
of structural change. Deeper regional integration offers immense economic prospects, but translating these gains into shared
prosperity and equitable development requires robust labor market institutions.
For us professionals, there are new realities, new opportunities, and new challenges in line with this integration. And we
must have the resolve, the flexibility and the creativity to formulate new policies to take advantage of these new opportunities
and meet these new challenges with regards to the ASEAN Integration.
Through participative and interactive seminars integrated in this event, we will have an opportunity to engage in meaningful
mutual exchange. And as we evaluate our strength and competitiveness, we hope to come up with appropriate programs that
address the various needs of the architecture profession in the Philippines to arrive at a sense of the “collective” in synchronizing
regional and national priorities and policies.
As we face various changes, both within the Philippi nes and across the globe, I hope that we will take the opportunity offered
by this UAP Annual Convention to learn from each other and freely debate the question of the direction for which we should
aim at. Furthermore, I hope that this will culminate in meaningful outcomes and that the existence of the United Architects of
the Philippines will come to be of even greater value as a result.
I would like to close by expressing my very best wishes for the success of the UAP Conventions and Exhibits with the help
of our very active Organizing Committee, the continued development of the UAP-IAPOA, and the fruitful participation of all
stakeholders in the built industry.
Let us all muster together to make this UAP Annual Convention and CONEX 2015 a grand success.
Mabuhay ang mga Arkitektong Pilipino!
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