Part One
THE Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, dubbed as the “association of associations,” held its 6th Associations Summit (AS6) at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) on November 23 and 24. Attended by 150 delegates, it was the first time the summit was held outside Metro Manila in PCAAE’s desire to reach out to associations in other parts of the country.
The event was hosted by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and was supported by the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (Adfiap), the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and the Center for International Private Enterprise (Cipe), and by many other sponsors and supporting organizations.
Opening the summit, whose theme was “Inspire, Collaborate, and Sustain,” were Cora D. Conde, PCAAE chairman; Atty. Ruel John T. Kabigting, SBMA deputy administrator for administration; and Arnold T. Gonzales, TPB deputy chief operating officer for Marketing and Promotions.
The moderators and panelists who shared their expertise and experience during the plenary sessions were: Gwen Albarracin, president and CEO, Center for Pop Music, Philippines Inc.; Jose P. Leviste Jr., director for Environment and Climate Change, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Atty. Paul Angelo A. Santos, chairman of the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA); Linda P. Gonzales, president of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs of the Philippines; Mary Lizabeth Lu, executive director, Game Developers Association of the Philippines; Zedrick T. Avecilla, director of Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce; Myrna Sarmenta, former assistant national executive director for Program, Girl Scout of the Philippines; Helen P. Macasaet, chairman of the ICT Committee, Management Association of the Philippines; Rene M. Gener, executive director of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP); Dr. Victor C. Quimen Jr., assistant professor of Nursing, Gordon College, Olongapo City; Arlene Padua Martinez, president of the Philippine Marketing Association; Joel B. Pascual, president of Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers & Suppliers; Yayu Javier, president of Avanza Inc.; Rolando B. Victoria, board adviser of Aski Multi-Purpose Cooperative; Arch. Manifelmo C. Dacanay, vice president of iHome Greater Metro Manila Inc.; Catherine Rowena B. Villanueva, president of Manila Bay Sunset Partnership Program Inc.; and Arch. Bejamin K. Panganiban Jr., national president of the United Architects of the Philippines.
Three special lectures on “Making Association Relevant Today” were also held, covering topics on membership models emerging around the world, leadership practices in association management, and transformation in meetings and events management. They were conducted by Toni Brearley, CEO of the Brisbane-based Australasian Society of Association Executives, this columnist, and Jason Yeh, president of the Taiwan Convention and Exhibition Association. The session was facilitated by Jesse Francis N. Rebustillo, past president of PMAP.
Sheila Samonte-Pesayco, president and CEO of Writers Edge, had a tête-à-tête with blogger Jover Laurio of Pinoy Ako Blog, in line with combating fake news and false information online. Paige Tribdino, client relations associate of Kalibrr Technology Ventures Ltd., an online personnel recruitment platform, and Mizuho Hara, manager of Events & Convention, JBE Pte. Ltd./JTB Asia Pacific Corp., an integrated travel, destination and events service provider, presented what their organizations are doing to help associations and other institutions.
To be continued
The contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), founder and CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) and president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations (APFAO).
The purpose of PCAAE—the “association of associations”—is to advance the association management profession and to make associations well-governed and sustainable. PCAAE enjoys the support of ADFIAP, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). E-mail: obp@adfiap.org