The UAP National President's Report The UAP National President's Report | Page 48

As the world is facing major crises: political, environmental, climatic, financial and social, all of
which have to do with our survival on this planet, we have to seek creative and innovative
answers to all of them. For us architects, planners and designers, these present a challenge to
arrive at new technological, economic, social, political and environmental solutions.
As Filipino architects are working in a virtually borderless global market, our products must
respond to the desires of international consumers, corporations and citizens. It does not mean
that we have to sacrifice our national and cultural identities in our endeavor to be a fully de-
veloped nation. Liberalization is imminent as the demand for excellence is growing among the
end users. We will see the increase of foreign technologies and expertise in our practice. The
developers/clients are not going to be easy on us, as they will demand the best at competitive
rates. They have the whole world at their disposal to get the best.
And through the APEC Architect Project, it is imperative for Filipino architects to enhance our
capacities and capabilities to be world class and equally competitive. We must be proactive in
our approach to challenges facing the architecture profession. We must adapt to change but
more importantly, we must coordinate our efforts towards meaningful change for the profession
in this age of globalization.
(The writer is the current national president of the United Architects of the Philippines and the first national president coming
from Mindanao. He has been in the Private practice for more than 33 years and is a Fellow of the UAP. He is also the first Asean
architect and APEC architect coming from Davao City. He is a graduate of B.S. Architecture from the University of Mindanao
and is also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Architects Singapore.)
48 2018-2019 Annual Report