Effective January 1, 2012, a Certificate of Good Standing shall be issued by the UAP for its members who have complied with the requirements as indicated below and considered as member in good standing for the current fiscal year.

This certificate can be used by the member for the application for renewal of professional licenses as required by the PRC and for such other purposes it may serve.

The Guidelines for the Issuance of the UAP-IAPOA Certificate of Good Standing:

A. OVERVIEW

Under Section 40 of Republic Act No. 9266, otherwise known as “The Architecture Act of 2004”, an architect duly registered with the Board shall automatically become a member of the Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects (IAPOA) and shall receive the benefits and privileges provided for and described in its by-laws upon payment of the required fees and dues.  By virtue of PRBOA Resolution No. 03, s. 2004, the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) became the Integrated and Accredited Organization for Architects. The 2009 UAP By-Laws duly approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provides the general guidelines and the framework for the operations of the organization.

In 2005, the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture (PRBoA) issued Resolution No. 02, s. 2005, which requires Registered and Licensed Architects (RLAs) to submit their valid certificates of UAP membership and Official Payment Receipts for the annual/lifetime membership dues as a prerequisite for the Issuance of the Certificates of Registration and Professional Identification Cards as Architect and for the renewal of the foregoing Cards. Further, the PRC issued Resolution No. 465, s. 2008 which requires all professionals to submit a Certificate of Good Standing from the Accredited Professional Organization as a requirement for the renewal of the Professional Identification Cards. The maintenance of good standing status of member professionals is to be attained by attending duly accredited CPE courses from duly accredited CPE Providers to ensure their competitiveness in the light of liberalization of trade in services under the 4^th Protocol of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) pursued by the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the ASEAN where the Philippines is an active member.

Since the mandatory requirement for CPE is far from a settled issue in as much as R.A. 9266 provides specifically that the CPE is not a mandatory requirement for the renewal of the professional license of architects, the UAP-IAPOA, with the concurrence of the PRBOA and the PRC, redefined the conditions for members to be of good standing that could, one way or another, address the State Policy on ensuring the sustained development of professionals and the maintenance of high professional, ethical and technical standards in order to be globally competitive.

The 2009 UAP By-Laws defines the basic duties and responsibilities of a regular member and classifies members according to status of membership. As a private entity, the UAP is free to prescribe qualifications for continued membership in the organization. Being a private, non-stock corporation, the UAP has the right to adopt rules prescribing the mode and manner by which membership can be obtained or maintained (Ruben Ladia, The Corporation Code Annotated [2001], p. 378). It is in this context that these guidelines are formulated.

B. DEFINITION OF MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING

A member in good standing shall be defined as a member who:

1. Has paid the UAP national annual membership dues and other fees;
2. Has complied with other basic duties and responsibilities of a member; and
3. Has earned a minimum of 20 participation points annually through involvement in official UAP national and/or local activities, i.e.;

• • Attendance to International Conferences (ARCASIA, APEC, EAROPH, or UIA), UAP National Conventions, Convention Exhibits, Area and District Assemblies, as a registered delegate.
  • Participation in UAP organized CPE seminars, specialization courses, forums, lecture series, Balangkasan, Architectural Tours, NAW and WDA activities, either as resource persons, facilitators, coordinators, moderators, researchers, or as regular registered participants.
  • Attendance to monthly General Membership Meetings and chapter board meetings
  • Participation in UAP organized socio-civic projects.
  • Participation in UAP organized or accredited competitions
  • Hold positions in standing or special committees, commissions, or special task forces in the UAP
  • Current Recognition or Awards from legitimate award giving bodies (PRC, PFPA, NCCA)
  • Publication of books, journals or researches
  • Paper presentation in International or national forums.

C. CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING

A Certificate of Good Standing shall be issued by the UAP for its members who have complied with the above requirements and considered as a member in good standing for the current fiscal year. This certificate can be used by the member for the application for renewal of professional licenses as required by the PRC and for such other purposes it may serve.

D. PARTICIPATION POINTS

Participation points can be earned from the following national and local activities organized by the UAP:

E. EXEMPTIONS ON PARTICIPATION CREDIT POINTS

The following are exempted from the above requirements on participation:

1. Overseas Filipino Architects
2. Members who by virtue of their workplace location and physical conditions would have extreme difficulty in participating in any activity*.
3. UAP members 60 years old and above
4. UAP Member Emeritus
5. Likha Awardees
6. Past National Presidents

Notes:

*The second above shall file for an exemption with corresponding supporting documentation of reason for extreme difficulty to the UAP National Office through the Secretary General for approval by the Executive Committee. Exemptions should be filed at least two months in advance of need for the Certificate of Good Standing. Exemptions shall have a validity of three (3) years only and shall be renewed thereafter.

F. EFFECTIVITY

The above requirements for the issuance of the IAPOA Certificate of Good Standing shall take effect on January 1, 2012.

These Guidelines were approved by the National Board on the 26^th day of April, 2011.