national executive vice president
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made
to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela
Last July 15, 2016, we attended the successful Induction
and Turn Over of Officers of the UAP Maharlika Chapter.
The monsoon rain drenched our shoes and pants/gowns
before we could enter the Ramon Magsaysay Hall in Roxas
Boulevard. We enjoyed the camaraderie with colleagues
and thus arrived home late at about 12:00 Midnight. I woke
up at 3:00AM the next morning, July 16, to be able to start
travel to Baguio at 4:00AM. We were able to arrive at
Camp John Hay in time for the 10:30AM UAP Baguio
Chapter Induction and left the venue at 3:00PM to return to
Quezon City for the District A4 Induction at B Hotel,
which finished at about 11:00PM. The next day, July 17,
which is a Sunday, we drove again at 4:00AM to travel
north to attend the UAP Pangasinan Scale’s lunch time
Induction in Dagupan City and the UAP Dagupan’s dinnertime Induction in Lingayen. We did not wait for the Governor to arrive and we rushed to leave
at 10:00 PM to travel back to Manila.
I arrived home past 2:00Am the next
day, slept for a few hours and got
ready again to fly to Cebu City for
the Metro Cebu Chartering on August 18 and the Fort San Pedro Chapter Chartering on August 19. We
have to go to Mindanao down south
and go back to the north sometimes
in a week’s time. I will not tell you
the rest of the schedule we had, but
that is how hectic a National Officer’s life can be in the first 2
months. We miss work and leave our
family behind. After so many Inductions, about 60 of them Chapters and
Districts (counted as one) all packed into 2 months and a
week, our body and mind got exhausted. Not to mention
the emails that we have to answer in between breaks and
the messages that we have to prepare and send to the Chapters asking for their Souvenir Programs. There are other
Official Functions that we have to attend to like the launching of the Young Designers Award by Nippon Paint, and
some
of
the interviews and
the photo
shoots that
go with it.
Last Sept
6, 2016,
we had to
go to the
Supreme
Court at Padre Faura in Manila, for the MOA signing and
the launching of the International Conceptual Design
Competition for the Supreme Court Complex. Yet, as we
go from one Chapter or District to another, all those body
aches we got from long land trips, late night sleeps and
early morning flights were replaced with surprises, joyful
laughter, hearty meals, fun filled trips to exotic places and
beautiful friendships as we arrive from one Chapter to
another and one District to another and meet our colleagues
from around the country. We are living our life to the
fullest as others may say. Others misconstrued these as
irrelevant social functions, yet for the Chapters we visit,
this is very important. This is the only time that they will
be able to meet and talk to the National Officers. This is
the time that they will feel connected and important because, we took time to come and relay our National Plans
and Programs personally. We are surprised by the hospitality each of them shows to the National Officers. Many
gave a Lei be it plastic or fresh flowers, open their banners
when we arrive at the airport, but in Virac, Catanduanes, it
was different. They made it a point that we were able to
stand at the Tarmac and they slowly rolled out the longest
tarpaulin banner ever with our big names printed on it. We
had the best
boodle
fight
meal at a beautiful resort after a
morning hike to
Binurong Point.
What a way to
welcome
the
National Officers! What inspires me most
is the overwhelming reply
of all the Chapters and Districts to our Challenge. Last year, we
had given 12 UAPSA
Grants
worth
P10,000.00 to needy
UAPSA
Members.
This year we will
make
it
bigger. We
have challenged all
the Chapters
that we had
been to, to
give at least
one UAPSA
Grant. In a Chapter, one generous Architect can
give P10,000.00 or 10 can give P1,000.00 each or
20 can give P500 each or P50 members can give P200.00
each, “…pang load or pang Starbucks”, that’s what I say.
We are 144 Chapters as of this writing and we will aim to
get 144 UAPSA Grants. We thank all the Chapters and the
Districts who pledged support to this noble endeavor. I
thank those who have approached me/us and pledged for a
“So to encourage needy but deserving students of Architecture,
we are pursuing this “Adopt a
UAPSA” Program.
Arch. Ma. Nina Bailon-Arce, FUAP, AA, APEC Ar.
National Executive Vice President
personal support. I specifically thank Ar. Maximo Magsano
Jr, UAP of Pangasinan Dagupan Chapter for being the first
to respond to the challenge to
share a UAPSA Grant. Our
heartfelt thanks to you! I was
once a Grant-in-Aid Scholar. I
had to work an hour a day to
be able to go to College until I
got the full scholarship at the
University of Santo Tomas,
College of Architecture. I
know how it feels to see our
parents look for money. It was
hard for my parents who were
both elementary school teachers to make both ends meet
and send us, 6 siblings to
school. I thank Dean Augusto
Concio for giving me this
opportunity to be able to study
Architecture. I am now an Architect because of that assistance. So to encourage needy but deserving students of
Architecture, we are pursuing this “Adopt a UAPSA”
Program. With the upcoming ASEAN Integration, we
encourage Filipino Architects to bring out and showcase the
best in Filipino talent and creativity, for us to put a mark in
Asia and the world. Let us put a mark not just in design but
also in giving. Let’s pay it forward. Let us make a difference in a young student’s life.
National President...from Page 3
architecture.
individual members.
This will also pose a challenge for each and every one of
you. We shall step up to the plate, and give your best, all
for the sake of UAP organization and its members.
This is just the start. And like an orchestra playing, each of
us must contribute to the attainment of a beautiful scoring
and rather not to spoil the beautiful music.
Our mindset should always be, on what we can do, to
make things work like magic, rather than watch for faults,
or shortcomings of others and keep on criticizing while
only watching things happen on the sidelines.
What we need is a symphony, just as a symphony of
shapes, structures and colors which makes for a beautiful
4
As architects, our focus should be on building, not weakening the structure of the organization.
In the 41 years of UAP’s existence, it has really grown, into
one of the more dynamic, respected professional organizations in the country, being the only 5 time PRC Awardee,
as the most Outstanding APO or Accredited Professional
Organization, with around 16,000 active members, and
going to a total of 144 chapters around the country and
abroad.
Again, the keyword is UNITY. In unity there is strength.
That might seem, like an over-used cliché. But in the
profession of architects, we need to dismantle the walls that
have been erected, that keeps us from being united. We
must seek to reconcile, and reunite with colleagues, even
those from other architects’ associations, or groups like the
PIA and the AAIF. I am so glad and happy with the initial
positive and encouraging responses I got from Ar. Renato
Basa and Ar. Delfin Viola, National Presidents of PIA,
same with AAIF President Ar. Ludivina Gonzalez and
other associations. Hope that all of you will be with me in
this endeavor, for the sake of the profession, and for the
architects of the future generations. I would like to make
special mention the efforts exerted by Ar. Ma. Elena Evangelista who chairs the Committee on Architects Unification
by trying to get all acts together despite of existing differences and coordinating to all concerned for initial talks for
the realization of this fondest dream. This is a tough process
I understand, but I’m confident that we will succeed, if we
help and continue to cooperate each other setting aside
differences.
As we confront greater challenges, our profession must
To be continued on Page 21
The UAP Post • Vol. 42 Issue 01 • July—September 2016