by Engr. Dave G. Sanchez
PICE Qatar had once again demonstrated that with hard work and determination, nothing is impossible. To succeed in life, you must have a lot of dedication, knowledge, and the right attitude, and becoming an Advance Level Engineer is no exception. Last October 14, 2022, the Philippine Technological Council (PTC) brought the ASEAN Engineer Registry Conferment in Doha, Qatar with its host the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers Qatar (PICE) Chapter.
The event started with a processional parade of colors, led by the PTC Officials represented by Engr. Federico Monsada (PTC President) and Engr. Romulo R. Agatep (PTC Country Registrar) followed by PICE Qatar Board of Directors, ASEAN Engineers, and ASEAN Engineers Conferees.
To start the program proper a Call to Order and reading of House Rules was initiated by Engr. Eduardo V. Francisco. Then, an invocation and singing of the National Anthems of Qatar and Philippines were played. To welcome everyone, Engr. Mario S. Oligo, the event Overall Chairman greets all the guests and conferees with a thankful heart. Engr. Oligo. He congratulated all the conferees whom he knew how much time and effort they put to finally be conferred on this event. To give more insights about the ASEAN Engineers activities the PTC Presidential Deputy Adviser and PICE Qatar Founding President Roy L. Baquiran presented his speech and formally opened the event.
All of the conferees were congratulated by the first guest speaker, Hon. Don Albert Philippe Pangcog, OIC and assistant labor attaché of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Doha. He then gave a brief story about the Parable of the Talents. He challenged everyone at the conference to use all of their abilities in positive ways and to enrich the lives of others. He also emphasized the significance of PICE Qatar's ongoing efforts to strengthen the country by assisting not just Filipino professionals but also the whole Filipino community.
The next keynote speaker, PTC President Engr. Federico Monsada, explains the mission of PTC, which is to foster the development and advancement of Engineering and Technology, as well as those involved, with a focus on global recognition of Filipino engineering professionals and their contribution to humanity. "PTC began to spread seeds, and we want to continue sowing seeds where it will ultimately develop and flourish and grow more, producing more healthy seeds that you personally may plant in the correct sort of soil. Remember that life does not end with the conferment that we will have today; you are growing and you are supposed to multiply, so hopefully and ultimately, we will see Filipino engineering professionals acknowledged for their contributions to the benefit of society", he said as he ended his speech.
The next speaker was ASEAN Engineer Helario S. Amoguis, who gave a testimonial address about the benefits of being recognized as an ASEAN Engineer since 2017. Next on the agenda is the Charging of ASEAN Engineers (AER), Associate ASEAN Engineers (AAER), and ASEAN Engineers Technologist (AE Tech), which will be led by Engr. Romulo Agatep. He then describes an Advance Level Engineer as someone who uses professional judgment and demonstrates leadership skills, inventiveness, and originality in the professional engineering environment. He further noted that conferment is done to formally award someone the title of ASEAN Engineer, and that the title might be post nominal or pre-nominal. He then called all the conferees for the official Charging as Advance level Engineers.
One of the highlights of the event is the Oath Taking of conferees which was led by PTC President Engr. Federico Monsada, the new 26 conferees took their Oath of Membership and sworn to be officially admitted to the ASEAN Engineering Register. Part of the oath states that the ASEAN Engineer shall, at all times, avoid deceptive acts and not assist in or induce any breach of these Tenets and the codes of my legal professional affiliations, but rather, endeavor to support those who seek to uphold them if called upon or put in a position to do so.
After the Oath taking ceremony, the Pinning of PTC pin, sash, awarding of AER/AAER medal and certificates were inducted. All the New AER, AAER and AE Tech were called one by one on stage together with their family members. These accolades symbolize the honor and responsibility of the members to continue the trust and confidence of the community in our profession, enhance the reputation and encourage everyone to do the same.
The newly conferred AAER Marianne Raechell Payumo, AER Elvin Fajutagana, AER Juphil Apale, and AER Alfonso Betita then gave their acceptance speeches. To wrap up the event, PICE Qatar President Engr. Rolan E. Nevado delivered his Closing remarks.
The event which was hosted by Ms. Kaycee Ann Oligo-Sigua and Ms. Aileen Joyce Ordoñez would not be possible with the lead of Events Overall Chairman Engr. Mario S. Oligo.
Truly, a professional who is dedicated and has a positive outlook will, in fact, achieve great things. See you all next year with a new batch of Advance Level Engineers.
