HONG, FROILAN L.
APEC Registration No.: PH00005
Date Conferred: 2006-10-01
FROILAN L. HONG, a Fellow (1983) and the 11th LIKHA AWARDEE (2013), is multi-awarded and his success in his chosen field could be attributed to his passion for his profession and commendationin both the academe and industry. At United Architects of the Philippines, he became 8th President (1987-1988), after Vice-Presidency and years of various chairmanships of task forces and committees. During his term as National President, the labors of the Founding Fathers of the Integration of three Organizations of Architects found fulfillment when the President of Union Internationale des Architectes(UIA) formally gave official recognition to UAP as the UIA’s national section in 1988.
A most significant influence in Hong’s profession is the role of Felipe M. Mendoza as Hong’s professorin Architecture, and mentor in the profession. He brought Hong face to face with the giants of the integration of the three Architectural Organizations representing the PIA, the LPA and the APGA which he considers the heroes of the UAP.
Hong’s active participation in the academe started right after having topped the Licensure Exam. He was offered a teaching job at the Mapua Institute of Technology, his alma mater, and after 3 years of teaching, he was recruited by the University of the Philippines which was then expanding the School of Architecture (merged then with the School of Fine Arts). Together with the pioneers of the School of Architecture headed by Dean Aurelio T. Juguilon, the Architecture Curriculum was finalized and the School of Architecture became a separate unit from the entire Fine Arts.
He was sent by UP for Post Graduate studies on a Fellowship Grant to the Bouwcentrum International Education in Netherlands (1972). He finished the course on Housing, Planning and Building “With Distinction”. Back in the Philippines, he continued his Master’s Degree in Environmental Planning at the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning, and graduated in 1975.
As a faculty member of the University of the Philippines, he was very active in curriculum development and continuing education programs which he, in turn shared with the United Architects of the Philippines Education Committee. The team of Victor Tiotuyco, Dean Geronimo V. Manahan and Hong was in the forefront of UAP’s committees in education and professional practice. These three UP architects were the “backroom boys” who supported UAP National Leadership with their studies, researches and insights on matters of vital concern to the architects in the organization.
The Professional Regulation Commission awarded Hong the “Professional of the Year” twice — the first one for Architecture (June, 1992), and the second for Environmental Planning (June 2008). He was Deputy Director in charge of the Planning of the Bases Conversion Program when President Cory Aquino and the Philippine Senate decided to terminate the US military facilities in the Philippines (1990). In this effort, he gathered 37 architectural and engineering firms including social scientists, agriculture and forestry experts,environmentalists and financial experts to produce the plans for the Bases Conversion Program. His awardsalso include the “Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan” award given by the City of Manila in June 2003.
