PRC 2018 Year-End Performance Assessment & 2019 Commission Planning Conference

The Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) held its Annual Year-End Performance and Planning Conference at the Diamond Hotel on February 18-20, 2019. The theme of the event was "Resilience in the Face of Challenges."

At the Diamond Hotel...

The event presented a series of reports and speakers led by PRC Chairman, Hon. Teofilo Pilando Jr., who delivered his message and reported on the direction the Commission is set to pursue.

PRC chair Hon. Teofilo Pilando Jr., setting direction for PRC...

The program started with the Invocation led by Atty. Arnel Ramon, chief of Legal Division. Director Elenita Tan of PRC-Legazpi acknowledged the presence of various participants. Hon. Jose Cueto Jr., PRC oversight Commissioner for Health and Business Cluster, delivered the welcome remarks and presented the guidelines and ground rules for the presentors and participants. Hon. Yolanda Reyes, oversight Commissioner for Engineering & Technology Cluster, also delivered her message, followed by Hon. Teofilo Pilando Jr. who gave figures on last year's performance: 

Hon. Jose Cueto Jr., welcoming the participants & setting ground rules...with Hon. Nenette Dagondon, emcee during the first day...

Professionals who registered - 205,055

Professionals who renewed their IDs - 437,178
CPD providers accredited - 579
CPD programs accredited - 17,116

Hon. Yolanda Reyes, delivering her message...

There are now 378 Filipino ASEAN chartered engineers, 119 ASEAN chartered architects, 5 ASEAN accountants, 87 APEC engineers and 63 APEC architects. (APEC: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)

With Hon. Den Malia and Hon. Concordio Zuniga...

Plaques and appreciation were awarded to several former Professional Regulatory Board (PRB) chairmen and members: Hon. Gerard Sanvictores of Accountancy, Hon. Eduardo Ong of Real Estate Service and other former PRB members. Posthumous awards were conferred to Hon. Angeline Chua Chiaco, former Commissioner and former member of PRB of Architecture. Also awarded was Hon. Rolando Pena, former chairman of PRB of Geology. Oathtaking of new PRB chairperson and member was conducted: Hon. Dr. Eleanor Almoro, chairperson of PRB of Medicine and Hon. Dr. Rodolfo Drapete, member of PRB of Dentistry.

Hon. Ed Ong receiving the award...

The first presentor was Hon. Cyd Aguilera, member of PRB of Chemical Engineering, who talked about the highest priority issues and concerns across the four clusters that make up all the professions regulated by the PRC: Business, Health, Engineering & Technology. After the presentation, an open forum followed. Top six (6) priority issues were: Licensure examinations, CPD program, professional regulatory laws, inspection & monitoring of establishments, Philippine qualifications framework (PQF) and Mutual recognition agreement (MRA).

Hon. Cyd Aguilera presented priority issues & concerns of all the professions...

Dr. Lucila Tibigar, senior test consultant, presented about Licensure examinations: table of specifications, peer review, item analysis and quality of test questions. Next to present was Atty. Arnel Ramon, chief of Legal Division-NCR, who presented on administrative cases.

The Engineering Boards...

The conduct of inspection and monitoring was presented by Atty. Ma. Liza Hernandez, OIC-Director of Regulation Office, followed by Atty. Lovelika Bautista, chief of the PRB Secretariat Division, who tackled the issues on oathtaking ceremonies.

Members & chair of various Boards..Electronics Eng., Architecture, Sanitary Eng., Agricultural Eng., Geodetic Eng...

Hon. Jose Cueto, oversight Commissioner for Health & Business, presented on the assessment of performance of PRB members based on their expanded roles & distribution of assignments and Hon. Gervacio Piator of the PRB of Accountancy talked about taxation on professionals.

Atty. Arnel Ramon on administrative cases...

The second day of the event saw several presentors, the first of whom was Mr. Lord Louis Valera, OIC-Director of International Affairs Office, who talked about problems of mobility of professionals regarding Mutual recognition agreement (MRA). Hon. Bernadette Reyes, member of PRB of Physical & Occupational Therapy and chair of the CPD Program Management Committee, talked about the latest development on the CPD, such as the result of Senate hearing agreement and directives and PRC's initiatives.

Atty. Ma. Liza Hernandez on the conduct of inspection & monitoring of establishments...

Issues and concerns  on data privacy were presented by Atty. Hector Silva, OIC of Hearing & Investigation Division, while Atty. Arjay Rosales, OIC-Director of Administrative Service dealt on anti-red tape act (ARTA) issues.

Atty. Lovelika Bautista on issues about oath-taking ceremonies...

Ms. Rebecca Garcia, OIC-Director of Licensure Office, talked about licensure examination issues and concerns: conduct of exams, delays, & late distribution of test questions and materials. Ms. Gina Consignado, OIC-Director of Information & Communication Technology Service (ICTS), talked about ICT issues and concerns & cash payment channels. Ms. Marie Jane Edquid, OIC of Professional Registry Division, presented on bunch or batch filing, its history & evolution and issues & concerns of the present system. Atty. Aristogerson Gesmundo, Assistant Commissioner, talked about issues and concerns on bids & awards.

With the Boards of Agricultural Eng. & Chemical Eng...

The third day of the event tackled the issues and concerns of the central and regional offices of PRC.

Mr. Norman de Guzman, emcee on the 2nd day...

Hon. Bernadette Reyes on development of CPD...

Hon. Nenette Dagondon was the emcee and moderator for day 1, Mr. Norman de Guzman for day 2 and Ms. Ma. Elenette Lapinig and Mr. Reynaldo Cristobal were emcee and moderator, respectively for day 3.

The Engineering Boards...

The view from the 27th Floor, Diamond Hotel...Roxas Boulevard & Manila Bay...

SAEP participated in the 1st Philippine Space Industry Forum

[Note: SAEP through Dr. Jay Jack Manzano, together with SAEP Officers, Engrs. Jabel Abella & Egz Aguilar, participated in the 1st Philippine Space Industry Forum on January 29, 2019. Below is the report from Engr. Egz Aguilar.]

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) hosted the 1st Philippine Space Industry Forum held at Shangrila at the Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Manila on 29 January 2019.

With the theme, “Beyond Boundaries: Exploring Business Opportunities in Space-related Collaborations,” representatives from the government organizations, academic institutions, and private companies gathered to raise awareness and discuss their different space-related initiatives in the country.

Executive Director Dr. Enrio Paringit of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) expressed that “we are ready to go full blast in the space industry. The government has been laying the foundations needed to put up a strong science program and the creation of PhilSA (Philippine Space Agency) will be the culmination of this preparation. It is high time now for our partners in the industry to join us in this journey to conquer space.”

He stressed that the council hopes that through the forum, business groups will be enticed to leverage our potential business opportunities in space-related activities and encourage government, industry, and academe collaborations towards this end.

Dr. Jay Jack Manzano of SAEP, one of the panelists

The Society of Aerospace Engineers of the Philippines (SAEP) participated in the event with Dr. Jay Jack Manzano acted as a panelist from the academe side. He stressed the need to develop a suitable curriculum to better prepare students to join the space industry. Government support is also needed in offering scholarships to more students.

Dr. Jay Jack Manzano, Engrs. Jabel Abella & Egz Aguilar during the Forum

Further, DOST has presented its Science For Change Program (S4CP) to entice businesses to join the space industry.

Many thanks to Engr. Egz Aguilar.

2018 SAEP National Convention Resource Speakers

Last November 10, 2018, SAEP held its 14th Annual National Convention participated by its members coming from different sectors in the aviation/aerospace industry, from airline companies, maintenance repair organizations, chartered aircraft companies, aviation schools, government agencies, etc.  The topics presented and discussed ranged from strategies for modernization of our airports to research on how to minimize fuel consumption on narrow-body aircraft.

The following are the resource speakers who gave their time and effort unselfishly to share their experiences and expertise in their respective areas. More power to them.

Col. Edmundo Gammad, (PAF, Ret.) spoke about "Philippine Airport Modernization and Expansion: A Private Sector Perspective." It's high time for the Philippines to upgrade our airports. It doesn't take a keen eye to see the miserable state of our airports and terminals when it comes to passenger services. Our airports are over crowded. They have surpassed their limits on passenger capacity. In fact, it's been a long time coming. Finally, we see bright light in the horizon as plans are afoot to build new airports and expand old ones. There are presently four proposals for the modernization of our country's premier gateway. We hope this can be realized under the government's BUILD3 program. 

One insight though is that "airports should not be seen as quick ways to raise cash, focus should be on consumers and economy." 

Col. Gammad is from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

Col. Ed Gammad on Philippine Airport Modernization & Expansion

Col. Ed Gammad with Hon. Ernesto Ferreras Jr., PRB Chairman & Engr. Robin Rabin, SAEP President

Mr. John Lee talked about the activities and role of the "Aerospace Industries Association of the Philippines (AIAP)." Mr. Lee is presently Chairman of the AIAP, which presently consists of 76 member companies. The AIAP has a very important role in the development and progress of Philippine aviation/aerospace industries, especially in manufacture and distribution of aircraft and parts. AIAP's vision is to "make the Philippines to be a major hub for manufacture of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts and allied services (MRO) for the global commercial aircraft industry." One of its missions is to "serve as liaison of the membership in influencing government policies and development programs, partnering with government and established institutions to revitalize and elevate the state of the Philippine aerospace industry." 

What we sorely need right now are machines and materials to build a genuine foundation for the manufacturing industry. We hope the association will help usher a new era in the establishment of a vigorous aircraft manufacturing activity in the country.

Mr. John Lee talking about the role of the Aerospace Industries Association of the Philippines

Ms. Rubie Sobremonte, Customer Service Manager of Universal Weather Aviation Philippines, talked on the role of "Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA)" in the Philippine setting. Aviation business is thriving not only here in the country but around the Asian region as well. We need fresh inputs of both ideas and capital to hasten development of private business aviation. General and business aviation are being utilized mostly by high-profile users and the association aims to find ways to "increase efficiency of travel and business productivity." This is geared towards providing services to high net-worth individuals, company executives, sports teams, celebrities, and even heads of state.

Dr. Louie L. Timajo presented the results of their research on "Minimizing Fuel Consumption for Narrow-Body Aircraft." A collaborative effort, the project aims to "formulate a solution to reduce the fuel consumption by tackling all the possible causes of fuel waste and thus increase the revenue of the airline." A lot of data is presented and airlines can benefit from the results of their research. One thing I was curious is the use of the PIANO software in the research, in addition to using survey questionnaires. PIANO stands for Project Interactive Analysis and Optimization. It is "a versatile modern-day professional tool used by many airframe and engine manufacturers for preliminary designs, competitive evaluation, performance studies, fuel consumption analysis, environmental emission assessments, etc. It contains a database of 250 files of different types of aircraft." I guess you can do a lot of research using this software.

Dr. Louie Timajo and his team, consisting of Laxamanan Kurappa and Sim Ming Seng, are connected with Nilai University, a private institution in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Dr. Louie Timajo delivering his paper on Minimizing Fuel Consumption for Narrow-Body Aircraft

Dr. Jay-R D. Basitao also delivered his paper on "Implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) with Embedded Assessment in the Aeronautical Engineering Laboratory Course." One objective of his research is to "determine the competencies and attributes that aeronautical engineering graduates should possess to be immediately employable in the industry and to prepare them for the changing demands of Industrie 4.0." Industrie 4.0 refers to the 4th Industrial Revolution which is characterized by the establishment of smart factories, among others.

How should he able to do this takes a long shot. One way to do this is to improve and develop the curriculum and the design of the Aeronautical Engineering course through the conduct of industry survey and the use of CDIO syllabus.  CDIO stands for "Conceiving-Designing-Implementing-Operating," a new framework that provides students with an education stressing engineering fundamentals. According to Dr. Basitao, the "use of embedded assessment ensured that students attained learning outcomes as evidenced by the strong correlation between student grades and student learning." The project was deemed successful as it was recommended to apply embedded assessment to other courses.

Dr. Basitao together with Dr. Felicito S. Caluyo, first presented their research during the 4th International Conference for Engineering Education Philippines (ICEE-PHIL) in 2008.
Dr. Basitao holds teaching position at the Holy Angel University School of Engineering and Architecture in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Dr. Jay-R Basitao presented his research on Implementation of PBL with Embedded Assessment in the Aeronautical Engineering Course

Engr. Alvin P. Brosas of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spoke on "Performance-Based Communication and Surveillance (PBCS)." The PBCS concept offers innovative approach to manage the performance of communication & surveillance features of the air traffic management (ATM). Its aim is to make sure that new technologies in communication & surveillance are adapted for safe implementation and operation.

What with the congested airways in the space above us, I hope this novel approach can ensure the safety of air travel and above all, help airlines and operators to schedule on-time departure and arrival of aircraft.

Engr. Alvin Brosas delivering his topic on Performance-Based Communication & Surveillance

Two events during the National Convention worth mentioning were participated by Engr. Jaime Dominic Panelo of Holy Angel University and Mr. Kyxz Mendoza.

Engr. Jaime Panelo presented for the first time to an assembly of aeronautical engineers his musical composition with accompanying lyrics dedicated to aeronautical engineers. The song was played during the event sung by both Engr. Lorenzo Naval Jr. and himself.

Engr. Jaime Panelo proudly presenting his musical opus

Mr. Kyxz Mendiola is the inventor of Koncepto Millenya, a manned drone prototype, dubbed as the smallest flying sports car in the world. The prototype can seat a single pilot and has been tested many times. The plan is to mass produce the aircraft for sale both here and abroad. Mr. Mendiola has tied up with a multinational company for further development and eventual production of the drone.

Kyxz Mendiola on the controls of Koncepto Millenya

We're proud to have Mr. Kyxz Mendiola as one of us, by conferring him the title of Honorary Member of SAEP. Welcome to the club, Mr. Mendiola. It would be nice to feature the drone and Mr. Mendiola here in this blog in the future.

Kyxz Mendiola accepting the title of Honorary Member of SAEP

PRB Chairman, Hon. Ernesto Ferreras Jr. and Mr. Kyxz Mendiola, inventor of Koncepto Millenya

Congratulations to SAEP Officers for successfully holding this year's Convention. Mabuhay!

The PRB and SAEP Officers

The PRB Chairman and SAEP President

And thanks to the MC of the event: Engr. Joraine Jost C. Razal...

Engr. Joraine Razal on standby...

And after business was done, it's relaxation time...

A gathering of aeronautical engineers...

In the picture, clockwise: Engrs. Ryan Cauntay, Michael dela Cruz, Rey Roca, Den Malia, Janus Reyes, Benjie Simbulan, Jun Martinez, Jun Ferreras, Raffy Presnilla, Jay Jack Manzano, Ronald Cayaban & Robin Rabin...

Engr. Vicente E. DyReyes, DOST Balik Scientist

Seminar on Theory and Practical Application of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in the Aerospace Industry

[Last September 21, 2018, Engr. Vicente E. DyReyes, a DOST Balik Scientist, conducted a free seminar on the theory and Practical application of FEA at the FEATI University. Here's a report by Engr. Joefreim E. Delicano of said event. Engr. Delicano is Assistant Professor 1 of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering and Aircraft Maintenance Technology, College of Engineering of FEATI.]

-ooo-

The seminar was conducted in partnership with the Society of Aerospace Engineers of the Philippines (SAEP) and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCIEERD-DOST). Below are some of the insights I gained from the seminar and I hope it could be of help in your endeavor:

1) The first part of his talk was all about Engr. DyReyes sharing his professional experience. With his knowledge in Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Engr. DyReyes was able to work with various aviation industries abroad, both in the civilian and military.

2) Engr. DyReyes gave emphasis on the importance of Finite Element Analysis in Aeronautical Engineering. He mentioned that industries were able to save a lot of money in testing and operation with the aid of FEA. He added that aircraft manufacturing and repair abroad are governed by FEA.

3) The second part of his talk delved on the origin of FEA as well the scientific principles behind it. He told that FEA was just like a method on how we determine the characteristics of orthographic objects e.g. square, rectangle. For instance, if we want to get the perimeter of the square, we just add its sides. Looking at it in the perspective of FEA, reactions, loads, and other characteristics of an object (irregular or regular in shape) can be approximated by performing a series of multiple linear equations. 

4) Practical applications of FEA in aircraft were discussed in the last part of the seminar. Uses of FEA for some real world problems were demonstrated. The seminar ended with the participants having a tour in the Aeronautical laboratory of FEATI University, funded by the Philippine Council of Industry, Energy and Emerging Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCIEERD).

Many thanks to Engr. Delicano for writing the report.