The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Philippine Overseas Construction Board (POCB) with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) agreed to collaborate towards promoting Filipino ASEAN and APEC Architects through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on February 12, 2022, during the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) – Dubai International Conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Honorable PRC Chairman Teofilo S. Pilando Jr., who serves as Chairman of both the ASEAN Monitoring Committee on Architectural Services of the Philippines and APEC Architect National Monitoring Committee of the Philippines, and POCB Chairman Isidro A. Consunji signed the MOU witnessed by Filipino architects based in the UAE led by UAP-Dubai Chapter President Kristine Rose Marasigan, who also spearheads the campaign in encouraging Filipino Architects to avail the benefits of being registered in the ASEAN and/or APEC Architect Registers.
The occasion was also virtually participated by the Alternate Chairman of the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines, Mr. Ireneo V. Vizmonte, and the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture Chairman, Hon. Robert S. Sac and other members of the UAP worldwide. .
Currently, there are one hundred thirty-nine (139) Filipino ASEAN Architects out of the six hundred forty-seven (647) ASEAN Architects registered in the ten (10) ASEAN Member States, and sixty-six (66) Filipino APEC Architects out of the one thousand and forty (1,040) APEC Architects registered in the fourteen (14) participating APEC economies.
In a related event, the PRC, together with the DTI and the Philippine Embassy in Dubai, also had initial talks with local counterparts for possible mutual recognition arrangements where Filipino professionals can benefit from.