ASSIGNMENT IN P. PRAC.

423
Gaza, Janhlawrenz M.
1.0 History of UAP
During the Spanish era there were no schools of Architecture in the
Philippines. The first Filipino recorded architect was Felix Roxas y Arroyo,
born circa 1820 in Manila, studied in Spain and stayed for many years in
England and France. Previous to this, a Filipino could aspire to erect an
architectural structure through the help of a Maestro de Obras or master
builder. The first formal school for master builders was opened only during
the last decade of the 19th century. On 14 September 1902, many of the
graduates of this school joined the civil engineers and surveyors in the
country and founded the first professional organization of architects and
allied professionals ~ the Academia de Arquitectura y Aguimensura de
Filipinos (AAAF). It maintained direct consultation with the American
Institute of Architects (AIA). A year after, its name was changed to
Academia de Inginieria, Arquitectura y Agrimensura de Filipinas (AIAAF).
In 1904 it founded the first school of Architecture in the Philippines, the
Escuela de Ingenieria y Arquitectura, which offered five-year courses in
Architecture and Civil Engineering.
In 1911, the AIAAF was dissolved when the civil engineers withdrew to
form their own professional organization, but not before it has struggled
for the passage of an Engineers and Architects Law. In 1921, the
Philippine National Assembly Act No. 2985 passed, the first enabling law
for the practice of the professions of engineering and architecture, defined
the unique and separate identities of the two professions.
The profession of Architecture in the Philippines was given its first
separate statute on 17 June 1950 with the enactment of Republic Act 545,
"An Act to Regulate the Practice of Architecture in the Philippines."
From the early 1930's to late 1950's, associations of architects were
founded, but only three survived until the early 1970's ~ the Association
of Philippine Government Architects (APGA), League of Philippine
Architects (LPA), and the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA). In June
1973, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 223,
creating the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) regulating all
professions and accrediting only one organization to represent each
profession.
The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) was born on December 12,
1974 out of the noble vision of unifying the three (3) existing architectural
associations at that time - the Philippines Institute of Architects (PIA), the
League of Philippine Architects (LPA) and the Association of Philippine
Government Architects (APGA). Through the concerted efforts of the

officers and members of the three organizations, the vision officially

materialized on March 26, 1975, where the UAP was registered with the
Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On May 12, 1975,
the UAP was granted Certificate No. 001, the first professional
organization to be accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC). The PRC is the central agency of the Philippine Government
charged with the licensing and regulation of professionals and the
professions, as well as the Accredited Professional Organizations (APOs).
Since its registration, UAP has received many awards, including the
highly-acclaimed PRC's Most Outstanding Accredited Professional
Organization. To date, it is still the first and only APO to win the award five
times in the Award's nineteen-year history. These were in years 2002,
2007 and 2008, 2011 and 2014. The award is presented annually to
recognize the achievements, services and commitments of the APO to the
profession. UAP bested forty five (45) other professional organizations,
through 12 stringent criteria set for the award.
The UAP has been instrumental in the passing of Republic Act 9266: The
Architect's Law of 2004, effective April 26, 2004. On 22 June 2004, the
PRC, through its Board of Architecture, accredited the UAP as the
Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects (IAPOA).
The new law granted Filipino architects more definitive rights, benefits
and distinction as against other professionals in the construction industry
For its volunteer works, UAP was chosen in addressing housing problems,
urban degradation, environmental conservation and promotion of
volunteerism for socio-economic development; the UAP was a Regional
Nominee to the "Search for Outstanding Volunteers" by the Philippine
National Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) in its celebration of
National Volunteer Month last December 2005. PNVSCA takes the lead in
advocating and recognizing the contributions of volunteers to nationbuilding and international cooperation.
In April 2010, in celebration of the Earth Day, the UAP, through its
advocacy group "Green Architecture Movement", was awarded the 2009
Father Neri Satur Award for Environmental Heroism - the only accredited
professional organization in the Philippines to receive such a prestigious
environmental award.
Last November 2010, the UAP has been bestowed the EAROPH 50th
Golden Jubilee Award in recognition of its substantial contribution to the
advancement of Planning, Development and Management of Human
Settlements in the Philippines. The Award was given in celebration of
EAROPH's 50th Anniversary and the 2010 Congress in Adelaine, Australia.

The UAP has a roster of membership numbering more than 30,000 or

100% of the total registered architects at the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC). This number is expected to increase with the advent of
the automatic membership clause under RA 9266 and the registration of
new board passers of the recent PRC licensure examinations.
The UAP encourages all of its members, their firms, and foreign and local
components to engage in providing pro bono services as part their
contributions to the highest aspirations of the architecture profession and
the organization in service to society. Through participation in whatever
format they may choose, every member of the UAP can support and
further the values of the organization in terms of its advocacy for
sustainable design and practices, diversity, and elevation of the stature of
the profession of architecture in the eyes of the public.
Recently, the UAP has launched a nationwide program dubbed as
"Bayanihang Arkitektura" that encourages all members, and chapters to
engage in providing pro bono services as part their contributions to the
highest aspirations of the architecture profession and the organization in
service to society. Under the program, UAP chapters including their
members offer their architectural expertise in an advisory capacity free of
charge for several socio-civic projects.
The UAP has been involved in government projects such as Bayanihang
Pampaaralan with the Department of Education, the 200-bed Catarman
Provincial Hospital in Northern Samar, the "Alay sa Ginhawa at Kalusugan"
program which aims to provide fully-functional community health centers
nationwide, the "Disaster Resilient Shelter Project" with several local
government units, "Kapamilya Shower Na!" a Mobile Shower Project,
professional services for the design of the medium-rise buildings for the
In-City Housing Project along Estero de San Miguel in coordination with
Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, to name a few.
2.0 IAPOA
The United Architects of the Philippines is the Integrated and Accredited
Professional Organization of Architects (IAPOA) in the Philippines with
more than 24,000 members. UAP is registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-stock, non-profit organization with
SEC Registration No. 60782.
Architecture, as practiced in the Philippines during the Spanish era, was
not by virtue of an academic title. There were no architectural schools in
the country and the only architects with academic degrees were
Spaniards. However, the first Filipino recorded architect was Felix Roxas y
Arroyo of Binondo, Manila. The closest the Filipino could aspire to practice
as an architect was as Maestro de Obras or Master Builder. The first

academic school to train these maestros was the Escuela Practica y

Professional de Artes y Oficio de Manila, founded by the Spanish
government in 1880. In 1900 the first private school to offer an academic
title for Maestro de Obras was the Liceo de Manila.
For the early 1930`s to the late 50`s, associations of architects came and
went, but three of these survived until the early 70`s. These were the
League of Philippine Architects (LPA), the Association of Philippine
Government Architects (APGA), and the Philippine Institute of Architects
(PIA).
The profession of Architecture was given its first separate statute on June
17, 1950 with the enactment of Republic Act 545, An Act to Regulate the
Practice of Architecture in the Philippines. In December 1971, President
Ferdinand E. Marcos officially declared the second week of December as
Architecture Week. President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued PD 223 in June
1973 creating the Professional Regulation Commission with the duty of
regulating all the professions and accrediting only one professional
organization to represent each profession. Recognizing the need to
formally integrate the three architectural associations, APGA, LPA and PIA
each appointed three representatives to form the Panel of Negotiation in
May 1973.
To implement the terms of integration agreed upon by the three
architectural organizations, a 15 man Ad-Hoc Commission was authorized
to prepare the Constitution and By-Laws of the newly integrated
association. One year later, the respective Board of Directors of the three
organizations on December 12, 1974 unanimously approved the
Constitution and By-Laws. In order to effectively pursue the objectives and
perform its task and duties under the resolution, the Ad-Hoc Commission
was authorized to sit as the Interim Board to administer, implement and
coordinate the various activities of the new organization until the first
regular Board of Directors and Officers was duly elected. The new
integrated society was called, the United Architects of the Philippines
(UAP). Membership of the three organizations numbering a total of 1,300,
automatically became members of the UAP and during its first year, 700
members officially registered for active membership. On March 26, 1976,
the United Architects of the Philippines registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. UAP became the first accredited professional
organization on May 12, 1975 with the professional regulation commission
issuing certificate no. 001 to the UAP as the duly accredited professional
organization for architects in the Philippines. On June 12, 1976, the UAP
informed the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) of the integration
of the three architectural organizations under the United Architects of the
Philippines and requested for recognition of the UIA as its National Section
in the Philippines.

On March 22-25, 1979, the UAP organized a National Conference on

Architectural Education at the Development Academy of the Philippines in
Tagaytay City. The result of the Conference was the endorsement of a new
ladder-type curriculum for architectural education, which was approved by
the Ministry of Education and Culture and adopted by schools and
colleges of architecture in the Philippines. The same year saw the
approval of the new Architects` National Code by the Professional
Regulation Commission. This code was prepared by the UAP as a standard
of ethics and practice of architecture in the Philippines.
In recognition of UAP`s involvement in government program and
activities, the Metro Manila Commission appointed the UAP members to
constitute the Board of Advisers for urban design and development for
Metro Manila. In September 1979, UAP became a founding member of the
Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA) and Arcasia Board of
Architectural Education (ABAE) organized in Jakarta, Indonesia. Its primary
objective is to foster friendly, intellectual, artistic, educational and
scientific relations among national institutes of Architects in Asia. Later
this was changed to Arcasia Council of Architectural Education (ACAE). In
the same year, the UAP also became a founding member of the ASEAN
Association for Planning and Housing (AAPH). In December 1979, the UAP
organized a 4-month activity entitled "Filipino Technology in the 80`s in
collaboration with the five professional organizations, two ASEAN
Organizations, fourteen government agencies and schools of architecture.
At the closing of the "Filipino Technology of the 80`s, President Ferdinand
E. Marcos issued Letter of Instruction 1000 directing all government
ministries and agencies to authorize and support only PRC accredited
professional organizations like the UAP in organizing and hosting national
and international conferences and to give priority to the members of the
organizations in the hiring of employees and in the engagement of
professional service. On March 28, 1981, the UAP initiated the preparation
of the document entitled "International Code of Ethics on Consulting
Services" during the Arcasia Workshop held in Manila. It was later formally
adopted by ARCASIA in its meeting in Hong Kong on August 6, 1981.
After several documents were submitted by UAP to the Union
Internationale des Architectes (UIA) concerning the laws of the Philippines
and the status of the UAP as a follow up of its application to the UIA, the
UIA Bureau during its meeting at Honolulu, Hawaii on June 4-5 1982
concluded that "legally according to the laws of the Philippines, the UAP is
the only organization with the right to represent the Filipino architects
either in the Philippines or internationally and particularly with regards to
the UIA. The result of this meeting was forwarded to the UAP and upon
request of UIA, the UAP paid its annual dues on August 24, 1982. On
January 24-26, 1983 during the meeting of the the UIA Council at Santiago

de Chile, Chile, the Council passed Resolution No. 9 stating the "following
the laws of the Philippines and the UIA Statutes, UAP legally became the
National Section". A certification to this effect was issued to the UAP in
April 1983.
The meeting of ARCASIA in Lahore, Pakistan in 1983 approved the
proposal for UAP to host and organize the First Asian Congress of
Architects (ACA-1) in Manila in October 1984 (The Sixth Asian Congress of
Architects was also held in Manila in December 1994).
The United Architects of the Philippines today claims an active
membership of over 10,000 architects scattered over 3 strategic areas of
the country: Area A, comprising the central and northern portion of the
Island of Luzon including Metropolitan Manila comprises 5 regional
districts; Area B composing southern Luzon as well as the members from
the islands of Mindoro, Masbate and Palawan contains five regional
districts; Area C comprises members from the Visayan Islands as well as
Mindanao. This area comprises four regional districts.

3.0

Forms/Levels of Membership
Registration for New Passers (without a Chapter)

Registration for New Passers (with Chapter)

Membership Form

Registration for Inactive Members Who Want to Activate their

Membership Records with UAP

Registration for Transfer of Membership to Another Chapter

Transfer Form

Policy on Twinning Program

Policy on Fostering Program, Foster Form

Member Emeritus

Chapter General Information Form

4.0

Organizational Structure

The affairs of the UAP shall be administered by the General Assembly and,
on behalf of the General Assembly, by the UAP National Board of
Directors. The General Assembly is the highest authority of the UAP.
Organizational Structure
(Mancom and the UAP Secretariat)

5.0 Roles and Functions of UAP

UAP, the voice of the profession of architecture, inspires and supports its
members as leaders to improve and sustain the quality of the built
environment. In order to promote the value of the profession and provide
resources and education for members, the following Vision, Mission and
Objectives have been adopted:
Vision
UAP believes that an important purpose of architecture is to create a
vision that improves the built environment. This vision is vital to the
advancement of the living standards of our communities and provides a
service of ever-increasing value to society. Hence, the vision is
UAP the prime organization of Architects

Mission
In order for the UAP to unite the registered and licensed architects in the
Philippines, promote the aesthetic, scientific and business practice of
architecture; advance architectural standards of continuing education,
training and practice; and build relationships among clients, the
construction industry and architects, the following mission is adopted:
The UAP as the Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of
Architects, is the vanguard of the Architecture profession in the country
which shall serve as the catalyst of dynamism and unity among Filipino
Architects, promoting the highest ethical conduct, discipline, responsibility
and values beneficial to man and society, culture and the environment in
the delivery of its professional mandate for local and global practice.
Objectives
UAP offers continuing education programs, publishes vital Practice
Documents, hosts an annual National Convention and provides support to
all the chapters, ---. a professional organization for the design profession
and is classified as "not-for-profit. In this UAP aims to:

to cooperate with the Board of Architecture (BOA), Professional

Regulation Commission (PRC) and other government agencies in
discharging its functions, duties and responsibilities as the
Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects as
follows:
nomination to the vacant positions to the Board of
Architecture;
responsibility of preparing the program of Continuing
Professional Development (CPD);
endorsement of practice of foreign nationals to be issued
temporary special permit;
recommendation of compliance with liability insurance under
a temporary special permit;
monitoring compliance and endorsing to/filing a complaint
with the Board of Architecture and/or Professional Regulation
Commission for violation of the R.A. 9266 and its
Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR), code of ethics,
standard of professional practice and other policies of the
Board and of the Commission and with other agencies for
violations of other relevant laws, regulations and the like; and
some other functions, duties and responsibilities as may be
prescribed by the Board of Architecture.

to establish an appropriate organizational structure that will serve

best the interest of its individual members and providing for among
others a democratic process of election;
to ensure good governance in all matters pertaining to the
organization;
to ensure active participation of all PRC_BOA registered architects in
this Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of
Architects;
to establish and promote the highest standards of ethical conduct
and professional excellence in the practice and service of
architecture, through strict adherence with the laws and codes that
protect and govern it;
to maintain the highest standards of architectural education and
practice, through the conduct of research in architecture and
architecture related subjects for the academic curricula in
architecture and the continuing professional development program;
to cooperate and coordinate with other local/national and
international
organizations
in
the
field
of
architecture,
environmental design and other field of arts, science and
technology to ensure participation of UAP global concerns; and
to cooperate and coordinate with other allied professions, trade and
industry in developing progressive ideas in architecture and
environmental concerns as well as their practical application for the
welfare of the community and country