Doha, Qatar - March 11, 2024. The Philippine Technological Council - Middle East and North Africa (PTC-MENA) recently marked World Engineering Day with a two-day Technical Conference held on March 8-9, 2024, at the Rotana City Center Hotel in Doha, Qatar. Designated by UNESCO during their 40th General Conference in 2019, March 4th is celebrated as the UNESCO International Day of Engineers and Engineering, leading to the establishment of World Engineering Day (WED) for Sustainable Development. Spearheaded by PTC-MENA, this event serves as a vital platform for disseminating, convening, motivating, and enhancing the knowledge, skills, and competence of Filipino Engineers within the ASEAN and APEC economies, thereby contributing to their professional advancement.
The theme of this year's Technical Conference was "Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable World" and saw the participation of 192 Filipino Engineers from Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Singapore, and the USA. The event commenced with a courtesy visit to Qatar's Philippine Embassy and Government offices on March 7, 2024, followed by a Sports Tournament for Bowling at Qatar Bowling Center in the evening.
The first day of the Technical Conference commenced with an opening ceremony, during which Engr. Federico Monsada, President of the Philippine Technological Council, delivered the welcome remarks. This was followed by a keynote message from Her Excellency Ambassador Lilibeth Pono of the Philippine Qatar Embassy, and inspirational message by Engr. Marlene Kanga, former President of the World Federation of Engineering Organization (WAFEO) Sydney, Australia. A panel dialogue and discussion on the conference theme, "Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable World," was also held, featuring Engr. Marlene Kanga, Engr. Federico Monsada, Dr. Florigo Varona (WED Philippines 2024 Chairman), and Ms. Ayobami Rukayat Yusuf, Sr. Environmental Engineer at Parsons International, moderated by Dr. Elvin D. Fajutagana, PICE Qatar Chapter Immediate Past President and PTC MENA Qatar Treasurer and Engr. Mark Anthony P. Abendan, PICE Qatar Chapter Past President. The Technical Conference was graced by several sponsors, including Megaworld International, Ruwais Marine Services (RMS), Globe Construction (GCC), and ALTERRA.
The formal technical presentations commenced in the afternoon, with the first-day session divided into two tracks: TRACK A and TRACK B, covering a range of topics. In TRACK A, Dr. Elvin Fajutagana discussed "Construction Project Change Order Management: Towards Improved Policy Compliance and Procedures," followed by Engr. Mario Oligo's presentation on "A Net Zero Future: Sustainable Construction Strategies of Infrastructure Projects," Engr. Arlan Beltran's exploration of "Challenges Faced by Overseas ASEAN Engineers in Gulf Cooperating Council: Forging a Roadmap for Strategic Framework," and Engr. Mark Lepiten's insights into "Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Engineering for Sustainable Project Delivery." TRACK B featured Engr. Edgar Aguilar's discussion on "Sustainable Aviation Fuel - the Future in Aviation," Engr. Eric Rojas's presentation on "Innovative Technologies Transforming Geodetic Engineering Towards Sustainable Practices," Engr. Roel Galceran's insights into "Airports Emerging Technologies and Solutions: Contactless Passenger Processing: Reshaping the Airport Passenger Journey," and Engr. Mario Solang's overview of "KAHRAMA Sustainability Programs and Road Map to Excellence."
On the final day of the Technical Conference, discussions centered around the following session topics: TRACK A featured presentations such as "Sustainable Energy Development: The Beles Hydropower Plant Experience" by Engr. Alfonso Betita, "Sustainable Deconstruction Practices at Diriyah Gate Development Project in Saudi Arabia" by Engr. Joe Nino Orapa, "Quantitative Analysis of Copper in Digested Laptop PCBS: A Waste Management Approach" by Engr. Bryant Josh Montenegro, and "Airline Initiatives for Sustainable Aviation" by Engr. Dwight Almonidovar. In TRACK B, presentations included "Fluid Viscous Damper for Seismic Resilience of Public Schools Multi-Storey Buildings" by Engr. Nova Domingo, "Sustainability of Bridges Through Asset Management" by Engr. Ron Carlo Pingol, "Sustainable Welding: Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Environmental Impact" by Engr. Andy Dipasupil, and "ASEAN Engineering Assessment Process" by Engr. Trese Bustamante.
Simultaneously, on the evening of the first day, the conferment for the new APEC Engineers was conducted. Furthermore, the conferment of the new ASEAN Engineers was also conducted then followed by a Fellowship Night to close the event. The Technical Conference would not be possible without the undying support of the Filipino Engineers in MENA, such as PICE, IECEP, IIEE, PIChE, GEP, PSME, PSSE, and SAEP.
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