MANILA, Philippines - Architecture, as practiced in the country during the Spanish era, was not by virtue of an academic title. The closest a Filipino could get then was as a master builder.
It was only in the 1900’s when Liceo de Manila, a private school, offered an academic title for architecture.
There had been many associations of architects since then but only three survived until the ‘70s. These are the League of Philippines Architects, the Association of Philippine Architects and the Philippine Institute of Architects.
Recognizing the need to formally integrate these remaining associations, three representatives from each association formed a panel of negotiators to create the integration.
The new integrated society was called the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), and by March 26, 1975, the UAP became the first accredited profession organization.
Besides being the country’s prime professional organization of architects, according to UAP president Architect Ana Mangalino-Ling, the UAP has been committed to social responsibility and has taken an active role in socio-civic programs having been recognized by the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordination Agency (PNVSCA) of the National Economic and Development Authority.
The Professional Regulation Commission has thrice awarded the UAP the title of Most Outstanding Professional Organization (2002, 2007, and 2008) and is the only professional organization to be awarded twice in a row.
While the award marked a significant milestone in the UAP, Ling emphasized that it is not the end of UAP’s continuing improvement. “We have up-scaled our promotion on Green Architecture as part of UAP’s campaign for saving Mother Earth. As a matter of fact, we have approved a memorandum of undertaking with Green Building Initiatives which intends to promote awareness of the environmental impact of buildings and introduce a Philippine green building rating system, professionally designed and implemented, based on the broad and active participation of the country’s architects, engineers and construction industry professionals,” she said.
In the task of recovery and rebuilding areas devastated by Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng , the UAP offered a number of commitments and united efforts to help the community.
“We are also committed to continue developing a nationwide network of volunteers who are interested in providing disaster assistance, and many UAP Chapters nationwide are establishing new programs or growing existing ones using their expertise. Collectively, this national partnership can become a highly effective means of delivering the skills of the profession to devastated regions,” she added.
And just recently, the UAP signed a memorandum of agreement with the Bureau of Fire Protection. As March is Fire Prevention Month, the UAP and BFP will be conducting seminar workshops for fire safety practitioners and fire safety enforcers.
According to Ling, the architectural community and the UAP can become a clearinghouse for information, a source of the latest research and manuals on hazard-resistant design and planning, and a beacon of hope in the most dire of times. By developing a near-seamless national program, she said they envision that the UAP and its members will become the leaders of a new day.