10 OKTUBRE 2023, MAYNILA — Pinangunahan ni Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago ang muling pagdaraos ng International Conference ng Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (COPEDEC) na inorganisa ng Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC) kaninang umaga, 10 ng Oktubre 2023, sa Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) sa Pasay City.
Ang 10th International Conference ng COPEDEC ay ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon na magkaroon muli ng face-to-face conference ang organisasyon makalipas ang tatlong taong pagkaka-bakante dahil sa Covid-19 pandemic. Dinaluhan ito ng mga delegado mula sa iba't-ibang miyembrong bansa gaya ng Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.S.A. at United Kingdom.
Ayon kay GM Santiago, magandang oportunidad ang pagsasagawa ng mga ganitong klaseng pagtitipon upang mas lalong lumawak ang kaalaman at madagdagan ang skills ng mga Pilipinong port engineers.
"As far as our PPA engineers are concerned, we will be able to apply the learnings from the conference, and based on the attendance of participants and exhibitors, they presented new technologies and approaches to port engineering which I think we need to be able to expose our designers and engineers to use these new technologies and approaches. These new technologies and approaches do not only address current climate change challenges, but they also address requirements for carbon neutrality and ecological sustainability. We need to migrate to those levels of new technologies in order to make sure that our infrastructure and our facilities are ecologically sustainable," ani GM Santiago.
Nagpasalamat din si PIANC President Francisco Esteban Lefler sa matagumpay na paglulunsad ng nasabing pagtitipon at ang mainit na pagtanggap ng Pilipinas makalipas ang apatnapung taon simula nang unang ilunsad ang COPEDEC noong 1983 sa Sri Lanka.
"Our motto in PIANC, that's Navigare Necesse, which means we need to navigate. I think we have chosen the right place to put it in practice with our partnership with the Philippine Ports Authority, that I have to congratulate for the great job done and the organization of this event," ani Lefler.
Nagkaroon din ng Ribbon Cutting Ceremony na pinamunuan ng mga opisyales ng PPA at PIANC, bago tumungo sa bawat booth ng mga local at international exhibitors na nakatakdang magtagal hanggang Biyernes, 13 ng Oktubre 2023.
Punong puno ng aktibidad ang nasabing limang araw na pagtitipon na kung saan nakatakdang talakayin ang lahat ng patungkol sa mga pantalan magmula sa planning, construction, at maintenance.
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