7th Technical Seminars Year 2015 & Midyear Convention

RIYADH – In the blistering summer heat of July in Saudi Arabia, IECEP KSA CRC held its 5th Midyear Convention in an exclusive desert rest house (Esteraha) in Riyadh last 31 July 2015. This whole day event was attended by about a hundred of participantsconsisting of active members, past officers, participants, and guests.

The day started with a swarm of members registering and enjoying morning refreshments of coffee and pastry. The participants also used this time to socialize with colleagues and peers. This was shortly followed by Chapter Governor Engr. Perry Camson’s welcome address officially kicking off the Midyear Convention as well as the Introduction of Board of Directors’ Summary Report.

The next part began with detailed reports to the members in attendance by BODs Engr. Jandee Bonifacio (Membership Accomplishments), Engr. Emmanuel Yumul (Education Accomplishments), Engr. Kenneth Vallespin (External Affairs and Affiliation Accomplishments), Engr. Nelson Navarro (Treasury Update), Engr. Lester De Guzman (Audit Update), and finally, Engr. Arnold Silvestre Salcedo (Sports Accomplishments). These reports of accomplishments of the first half of the year are to keep the members informed and updated on the programs and activities of their APO.

One of the keynote addresses of the day was delivered to the members by the Chairman of the Philippine Council of Engineers and Architects (PCEA) and IECEP KSA CRC Founding President, Engr Mario Balboa discussing the ASEAN/ACPE/APEC Integration and Professional Mobility and how to go about with the application process of these professional qualifications. Engr. Mar also facilitated an open forum among the members who have queries regarding the subject matter being discussed.After the discussion and open forum, the next part of the convention was an inspirational message from the Guest of Honor, Mr. RusticodelaFuente, Labor Attaché, of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Riyadh who engaged the audience with his wit and familiarity of engineering jargon and current trends in technology. LabAttResty stressed the importance of the ASEAN Integration in the economy of the Philippines and the professionals it produces in general.

The inspirational message was promptly followed by the induction of new IECEP members and distribution of their respective membership certificates led by Labor attaché Resty, Chairman Mar, and Immediate Past President, Engr. Modesto Gibas. A sumptuous buffet lunch was then offered to everyone present while the live band played in the background.

The event moved on to its second part which is the presentation of the event sponsors, Global Intergold and Vistaland Corporation briefly introducing their products and services to IECEP members. Info booths and kiosks were also set up by the sponsors during the event to facilitate on-the-spot applications and interested parties.

The remaining part of the convention was spaced with a performance from the live band consisting of IECEP members and guest musicians.

The major highlight of the midyear convention is the technical seminar on Instrumentation and Control Engineering delivered by Engr. Nelson Bulala who showcased his mastery of the subject matter and engaged the participants in a 4-hour long discussion which included demonstrations using actual instrumentation and control equipment used in the Saudi utilities company, National Water Company (NWC). The session also saw the growing interest of the participants who took part in hands-on activities as proofs of deeper concepts being delivered by the resource speaker.

The whole day of fun and learning was capped by the distribution of participation certificates, commemorative group photos, and a raffle draw with a 42”-LED TV as grand prize and several other electronic gizmos as secondary prizes.

The 5th IECEP KSA CRC was a remarkable success that brought together colleagues and friends who actively pursue and practice the craft and discipline of Electronics Engineering.