Legazpi wins bid to host 2014 PICE nat’l convention in Nov By Danny O. Calleja LEGAZPI CITY, June 23 (PNA) – Not less than 4,000 civil engineers will troop to this city in November this year for the 40th national convention (NatCon) of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), City Mayor Noel Rosal announced on Monday. “Its final! We won the bid to host the 2014 PICE National Convention. More than 4,000 members are coming to find out for themselves why Legazpi is called in the travel industry world as the City of Fun and Adventure,” Rosal said. The decision was finalized by members following the PICE Midyear Convention recently held in Baguio City and attended by over 2,500 members including members of the organization’s student chapters, he said. PICE, the organization accredited by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) of the Philippines is composed of more than 74,000 registered civil engineer members in 96 chapters and some 47,000 civil engineering student members in 179 student chapters throughout the country. It was organized way back in 1972 with a mission to advance the welfare of its members and the development and prestige of civil engineering profession and to be a dynamic force in nation building, Rosal who himself is a prominent member told the PNA here. It was formed by merging two separate organizations of civil engineers-- one group working from government sector and the second group working in the private sector. The general membership of the institute, except for the honorary and student members, Rosal said was organized into autonomous chapters composed of members residing or having principal sites of business in the area to be served by the chapter. The regular chapters are formed for the purpose of fostering closer association among members in an area or locality; encouraging the members to prepare and discuss papers on the study of civil engineering problems in that area or locality; and encouraging the cooperation with other allied engineering, technical or scientific groups in the area or locality in matters of common interest. The institute, Rosal said also supports the formation of student chapters in engineering institutions in order to, among other purposes, encourage civil engineering students to work together in fellowship and dedication to science and technology and enhance and improve civil engineering standards, curricula and facilities in schools. PICE also has international chapters which are based on other countries where it reaches out to Filipino civil engineers around the world for a more concrete point of union, he said. The 40th PICE NatCom is now listed as among the about a dozen more big gatherings that the city will be hosting this year following its successful handling of a least six earlier this year that included the three Association of South East Asian Nations/World Tourism Organization (ASEAN-WTO) conferences held at the Oriental Hotel here last May. Next year, among the biggest occasion that the city will be hosting, as slated so far is the 99th Annual Convention of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines that will take place in April. It is expected to be participated in by over 5,000 members of the over 350 lodges comprising more that 50 Masonic districts nationwide. It will be followed by the 41th Annual National Directorate Meeting and Convention of the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (GEPI) to be held in May next year with an expected attendance of not less than 2,000 geodetic engineers from all over the country. Indeed, the city is now fast emerging as a “convention capital” owing to its attractiveness as venue of big formal gatherings such as international conventions, conferences, meetings and reunions, according to Rosal. Gatherings like these, he said boost the local tourism industry even as last year, the city received over half a million tourists—a big increase of 32.27 percent from the previous year’s list of arrivals. As recorded by the regional office for Bicol of the Department of Tourism based here, Rosal said the total arrivals of both domestic and foreign tourists in the city for the whole year of 2013 reached 579, 470 which was higher by 141,370 over the 2012’s 438,100 figure. “Our 2013 tourist arrival figure is good enough for the main time—surpassing even the 523,832 arrivals that the entire province of Albay posted in 2012. We hit the half million mark last year and by 2016, our goal is to hit the one million mark,” Rosal said. This goal maybe ambitious but workable as the local government administration relentlessly pursues a tourism master plan featuring a massive promotion campaign that highlights the city’s irresistible tourism products ranging from its natural wonders to world-class facilities. “People now come to Legazpi either as tourists or visitors not only for the breathtaking view of Mt. Mayon, one of the world’s most active volcanoes made famous by its magically-configured perfect cone form, but for its sparkling metropolis loaded with heavy tourism-related activities and exciting places to relax, play, convene and enjoy a healthful living,” Rosal added. (PNA)
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 05:36:44 +0000
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