The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Weng C. Ocfemia
Asia CEO Forum, the largest regular business event in Philippines and considered one of the most important in the Asia Pacific region will hold the Asia Infrastructure Summit 2017 on January 19, 2017 at the Manila Marriot Hotel.
ESCA President and CEO Ernesto S de Castro, the immediate past president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, will be one of the distinguished presenters in the upcoming event.
He is expected to talk about opportunities and challenges in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector as the Philippines begins the journey to its Golden Age of Infrastructure and the world shifts into construction mode.
With about 500,000 registered engineers, 148,000 of whom are civil engineers, the Philippines accounts for forty percent of all engineers in Asean.
De Castro believes that as we create opportunities for Filipino engineers in the country, many of those now working overseas and powering the infrastructure of those economies will have a reason to come home while the 68,000 annual graduates and the 500,000 engineering students in Philippine colleges and universities will find leaving for jobs abroad no longer borne out of necessity but just a matter of choice.
De Castro leads the path towards what he describes as “convergence engineering,” which is harnessing technology and human capital to come up with engineering possibilities to create sustainable infrastructure.
He said this as a way for the Philippines to experience real and shared economic growth as he call on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) which has changed how the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector design, build and manage infrastructure.
Other presenters include:
Charito Plaza is one of the authors of the Special Economic Zones Law that created PEZA. She is also the principal author of the law creating the Caraga Region. As a lawmaker, she served as chair of the tourism committee and public information committee and as vice chair of the national defense committee of the House of Representatives.
Peter Wallace, chairman of Wallace Business Forum. He is considered one of the nation’s most prominent advocates of economic development. A Filipino citizen, he has been a resident of Philippines for more than 40 years and advisor to the country’s most senior leaders in the public and private sectors.
Joey Leviste, chairman of AG&P. Considered one of the “most powerful” people in Philippines, Joey serves as the chairman of Constellation Energy Corporation, an emerging developer of renewable energy resources focusing on hydro, geothermal and wind projects. He is board member of OceanaGold Corporation, listed on the Toronto and Australian stock exchanges and chairman of PRIMEX, one of the top consulting firms to ADB.
Emma Imperial , group president and CEO of Imperial Homes Group of Companies. Her company built the nation’s first solar powered sub-division. Considered a leader in innovative mass housing, Imperial Homes is winner of the Green Company of the Year at Asia CEO Awards 2016 and was recognized by IFC-World Bank.
Jesse Ang, Cities Program Lead for East Asia & Pacific IFC. IFC is a part of the World Bank Group focused on the private sector, providing investment (both debt and equity) and advisory services in developing countries.
Ramon Allado, president of Allado Construction. Originating from Davao, Allado is former long-time chairman of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board.