UAP fumes over use of ‘architect of plunder’
A few weeks ago, the United Architects of the Philippines released a statement about the “negative context” of using their profession’s name in the media.
The statement read, “Recent headlines and articles—such as referring to a government official as an ‘architect of plunder’—reflect a long-standing trend of equating the word ‘architect’ with the mastermind of wrongdoings. This is not only misleading but also gravely unjust to a profession that has, for centuries, been dedicated to the highest ideals of public service, safety, progress, and nation-building.”
Sometimes, some people’s sense of urgency and priorities is just abject navel-gazing.
This statement is a shrill indictment of how tenuously some people view their own profession when they fight against symbols and metaphors to make themselves feel better. It laments how using “architect” as a synonym for a mastermind of wrongdoing supposedly diminishes their years of study and practice. It takes a special kind of gumption to try to control the English language just to soothe one’s ego.
The UAP’s hilarious sensitivity reveals something deeper. First, it underscores the constant bombardment of corruption and plunder suffocating the nation—and this, of all things, is what they take umbrage at? Second, it exposes a toxic local obsession with relevance, measured by one’s course or occupation. This fixation is clear in the UAP’s Homeric waxing about their “vital role” in nation-building.
Architecture builds environments, yes—but nation-building was not born of concrete and steel. It rose from intangible acts of dissent, revolt, and humor—through words and images—that made possible Asia’s first modern republic. Not buildings.
I wonder if the Philippine Medical Association has ever issued a similar protest against the word “dinoktor,” which means to falsify, to manipulate with precision, or to patch things up.
In the newspaper industry, “drawing” means when a photojournalist “arranges” the elements of a shot and passes it off as news. The implication? Those photos are the truth, and drawing is deception. Will Fine Arts graduates now organize to defend their honor?
How would the UAP respond to influencers labeling themselves as “brand architects”? Will they storm TikTok and Instagram? Wait until they learn there’s a Manila socialite dubbed the “floral architect” because “florist” sounds too ordinary. Next thing we know, we’ll have a “follicle architect” for hairdressers who find “stylist” too gauche.
What’s glaring in the UAP’s statement is that whoever wrote it suffers from massive insecurity about their occupation. The architects I know are too busy being productive to take a swipe at such inanities. Why issue this now, amid floods of stories about corruption and decay?
To the UAP: read the room, pick a struggle, and maybe build a better sense of proportion.
You may reach Chong Ardivilla at kartunistatonto@gmail.com or chonggo.bsky.social
