UAP National Election Confidence in Continuity in Leadership

My dear friends and colleagues,

Time and again, the United Architects of the Philippines, through the strong and willful direction of the National Board and with the unparalleled support and active engagement of our districts and chapters from all over the world, has unceasingly committed itself to protect the profession and the general membership.

This year, we saw how we all joined together with great optimism and drive to advance our profession, ensuring we continue taking a stand for what is right and just and what our profession deserves under the Constitution.

I want to touch on how UAP was able to advance our legislative agenda, most especially in championing the implementation of RA 9266. With the UAP Task Force RA 9266 together with the National Board of Directors at the helm, the proposed bills that we have lobbied in Congress and the Senate are key advancements we hope will reach a favorable final decision soon. The UAP is fortunate that there are leaders who are on our side in this battle.

These public servant leaders strongly believe in our cause of a better architecture profession in the country. They opened their doors for us to have discussions and consultations on our proposals, and we are thankful that they heard us as one body calling for the protection of our profession and the members we serve.

We are confident and optimistic that their commitment is not just lip service. As they have done and proved in the past, their support is with us. We are looking forward to their assistance in pushing for our causes in the next Congress.

Other milestones that we have achieved so far are the programs and initiatives taken by our Committee on Anti-Illegal Practices to address the issues of illegal practices in our profession. The drive to go after professionals and companies who malign or step on our rights as professionals is not a walk in the park. We recognize the challenges that come with going after big names and entities that seem to hover above us, but because we know what is right and what is under the law, we were able put illegal practices down.

It takes a whole lot of courage and determination to put down illegal practices, and these are not done overnight.

Over time, we saw how the Committee painstakingly processes issues raised to them and addresses them crucially with an unbiased and impartial perspective.

We look forward to the day when we no longer receive complaints and concerns about illegal practices. But for now, we open our doors to going through the same painstaking and crucial process once again, just like what we always do, because this is a continuous commitment for our organization and the profession we continue to protect.

I am confident that the incoming leadership will continue cultivating what we have planted so that future UAP members will reap the fruits of this collective effort.

These advancements are no typical feat. We take pride in cementing our name and our profession when it comes to legislation. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. With much optimism and strong drive, we are getting there.

At the end of the day, what we do is not just for ourselves alone. We are here for a better architecture profession in the country and for our future architects so they may fully exercise our profession’s rights in line with our Constitution.

These recent developments mirror our UAP thrusts—Servant Leadership, Unity, and Diversity & Member First.

As leaders who put service first above gain, we champion Servant Leadership. We hope to inculcate this aspect in our future UAP leaders— that we must allow ourselves to become fully passionate about our duty as servants. Our heart to serve should come first, all without expecting any personal rewards in return.

Our plans and programs are anchored toward an organization that remains a strong force. As the IAPOA, we are the authority that leads by example—and that is to promote inclusivity among our profession—the more than 50,000-strong membership across the world who each has their contribution to offer to the organization and the profession in general.

Lastly, we do all these with the direction towards Member First—a core trust with which we banner the interest of our general membership by putting them first above anything else. Everything the UAP does is all for the members.

For now, I enjoin each and every one of us to keep on being active in our organization. Continue championing our advocacies through your respective platforms. Most importantly, continue being the great Filipino architects that we are—for as members of UAP, we are bound to reach high above and beyond, and we are destined for greatness.

Mabuhay ang Arkitektong Pilipino! Mabuhay ang UAP!

Armando Eugene C. De Guzman III, FUAP

Incoming National President:

RICHARD M. GARCIA, FUAP, ASEAN ARCH, PALA, PIEP

Incoming National Executive Vice Presient:

Ar. Jason Ang, FUAP

Incoming Secretary General:

JASON S. ANG, UAP, ASEAN ARCH, PIEPIncoming National

Treasurer:

Ar. Rene Richie Corcuera, FUAP

Incoming National Auditor:

Ar. Annie C. Pugeda, FUAP

Incoming Area A Vice President:

Ar. Donato B. Magcale, FUAP, SFRIA, AA, APEC AR, Intl. Assoc AIA

Incoming Area B Vice President:

Ar. Delfin M. Mirabete Jr., FUAP, PIEP, PSPE, NAMPAP, EAROPH, MS Arch

Incoming Area C Vice President:

Ar. Ramon Francisco M. Teruel, UAP

Incoming Area D Vice President:

Ar. Albert S. Rosel, UAP

The message of the National President to the Incoming Leadership

On behalf of the United Architects of the Philippines, we would like to commend the men and women servant leaders who helped from administration to administration. Being in touch with each other should be a standard and keeping each other informed would help us be kept updated on the foregoing, projects, and innovations that we do as we evolve as an organization. The UAP Post is a perfect platform that we need to empower and continue to keep ourselves, our members, and the public informed of our organization.

Leadership is such a daunting task that we are to sacrifice time and effort for the betterment of the profession, the professionals, and the professional organization. We change leaders ever so often and as we go forward with the times; we need to be updated, raise the bar of ideas, augment what was done, and have a healthy transition.

There will be an upcoming transition by the end of June where I am personally very proud to say that the next leader is someone I believe in too as well. I am proud and confident that the incoming National President and his team will do a great job yet again for the organization and the whole architecture profession

. Ar. Richard M. Garcia is a servant leader who we have known professionally and personally, we firmly believe that this transition from the pandemic to the better normal fits his attitude and strengths because of his clean and clear vision. We are to transfer the leadership to a person we believe in and support for we saw his selfless dedication to the betterment of all architects and the whole industry.

Every transition should be smooth and selfless for the organization and all the architects in it, we must look past our personal differences and objectivity is key to good continuance. We have one profession, let’s continue to strive for unity despite our diversity, be servant leaders for the members as we put them always a top priority.

Let me commend the past servant leaders of the organization, lets’s continue a tradition of excellence thru this transition, we are to better ourselves as we move on for the greater good.