Manila, Philippines – The APEC Architect Monitoring Committee of the Philippines (AAMCOP) successfully held its virtual handover ceremony of the APEC Architect Central Council Chairmanship to the Architect Council of Thailand (ACT), on 5 August 2022 via Zoom.

The ceremony was initiated through an exchange of formal introductions between the ACT and their APEC Architect Committee and the AAMCOP Chairman, Members, and Secretariat, followed by the Welcome Remarks of ACT President, Mr. Prabhakorn Vadanyakul. In his turn-over message, the AAMCOP Chairman and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Chairman, Hon. Teofilo S. Pilando Jr., expressed his gratitude for the collective efforts extended by the AAMCOP in ensuring positive change in the mobility of the architecture profession amidst the global pandemic.

The virtual ceremony was also attended by the AAMCOP Members composed of the UAP, represented by the National President Arch. Richard M. Garcia and Arch. Medeliano T. Roldan, Jr., FUAP; the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), represented by Executive Director IV, Atty. Cinderella Filipina S. Benitez-Jaro; the PRB of Architecture Member, Hon. Robert M. Mirafuente; and the PRC International Affairs Office (IAO) as the Secretariat.

Dr. Pongsak Vadhanasindhu and Mr. Salyawate Prasertwitayakarn, Chairman and Secretary General of the APEC Architect Monitoring Committee of the ACT, respectively, delivered messages of the the acceptance of the Chairmanship and Secretariat. After the ceremonial handover, AAMCOP Member and Professional Regulatory Board (PRB) of Architecture Chairman, Hon. Robert S. Sac, FUAP, presented the accomplishments and best practices of the APEC Architect Central Council from 2019 to 2021.

The activity also highlighted the success stories of APEC Architect member economies in the Coffee Table Book (CTB), a project spearheaded by the Philippines, through the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), that was launched during the conduct of the 2021 International Congress of Architects. The CTB also contains accomplishments on the amendments to the APEC Architect Central Council Operations Manual, improvement of the APEC Architect website, and the convened special council meetings. 

As a regulatory body in the progressive determination of competence amongst professionals, the PRC vows to extend its commitment to supporting the APEC Architect Framework’s objectives and continue working towards advancing the implementation of the APEC Architect Project.