Speakers

Mark is an experienced and respected leader in the wider parks, sport and recreation industry. He is passionate about the sustainable development of community recreational infrastructure and open space, stewardship of our natural environments, and urban liveability. He is an Accredited Recreation Professional (ARPro), an Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional (ISAP), a Certified Parks Professional - International (CPP-I) and has received a number of industry awards.

Mark has over 30 years leadership experience in local government parks and open space management in Auckland. He has led large teams, organisational change processes, reshaped and rationalised contracted service delivery, worked across different parks service operating models, supported mana whenua co-governance arrangements, coached and mentored team members, and led innovative and award-winning change projects and significant capital programmes. This has included the Sports Field Capacity Development Programme, innovative research on sustainability and low carbon parks, and the creation of the Scott Point Sustainable Sports Park. Mark is currently a Principal Consultant at Jacobs New Zealand Ltd. 

As a strong industry contributor, he has 9 years of not-for-profit governance experience on the Recreation Aotearoa Board (including 5 years as Chair), and over 5 years on the World Urban Parks Healthy Parks Healthy Cities Committee and the Asia-Pacific Region Committee (where he is Co-Chair). Mark is also on the World Urban Parks Board .

He is the most active public historian on Philippine television.

He teaches at DLSU Manila Department of History and UP Diliman Department of Broadcast Communication. 

He is the former Vice President and currently board member and public relations officer of the Philippine Historical Association.

He is the former Deputy chapter commander, Knights of Rizal Sucesos Chapter and was the Spokesperson for the Knights of Rizal on the case of the Torre de Manila. 

He is a docent or historical tour guide for eighteen years now and has conducted the official NPDC virtual tour and the monthly special tours of the Rizal Park Luneta.  He is a known teacher and speaker on the Life, Works and Writings of José Rizal. 

He created the Xiao Time television segment watched by students and teachers all over the country in their online classes.  He writes a Tuesday column for the Manila Times.

In 2022, he was named by Esquire Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful Filipinos.

Michael Koks is an Associate Director with Arup Philippines, leading the consulting team that offers integrated services covering masterplanning, urban design, transport planning and environmental & social consulting services.

He has over 17 years international working experience in the Middle East, East Asia and Southeast Asia including Dubai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, China and Indonesia and the Philippines. His landscape architecture and planning background supports his vision and ambition in creating sustainable and integrated developments that are characterized by a strong public realm network, creating opportunities for implementation of WSUD and NBS as well as benefiting and improving the quality of life for its end-users.

Joshua M. Bingcang is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). A licensed electrical engineer, PCEO Bingcang is a pioneer and homegrown BCDA officer, whose expertise has been helping the BCDA grow for

the past 27 years.

PCEO Engr. Joshua M. Bingcang is highly experienced in handling high-impact development projects in various capacities. Among these projects are the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the construction of the first phase of the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City; and the expansion of Clark International Airport, and continued development of the Clark Freeport Zone.

For one, while serving as BCDA Senior Vice President for Conversion and Development Group, he took the lead in the formulation of business strategies and construction of the New Clark City– the first smart, green, and resilient metropolis in the Philippines.

In March 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. named him PCEO of the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC). On June 2, 2023, President Marcos Jr. reappointed him to the BCDA to become its PCEO, allowing him to resume his close-to-three-decades of serving the institution.

PCEO “Jake,” as he is dearly called by colleagues and BCDA employees, envisions consolidating all resources of the BCDA: its business districts in former Metro Manila camps—Bonifacio Global City and Newport City, and the zones under its stewardship: Clark Freeport and Special Economic

Zone, John Hay Special Economic Zone, Poro Point Freeport Zone, and the Bataan Technology Park.

This native of Pampanga holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines. He took part in the Executive Training Program in Urban Policy and Governance of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and in the training on Public-Private Partnership from the Harvard Kennedy School, Massachusetts, USA.

Ramil is an architect and presently the head of the conservation division of the Intramuros Administration. He is also a lecturer at the College of Architecture, University of Santo Tomas. He previously worked with the Design Coordinates, Incorporated on construction project management and has taught at Far Eastern University, Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts.

He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Master’s Degree in Cultural Heritage Studies from the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He placed 1st in June 2009 licensure exam for architects and has trained with the Getty Conservation Institute and ThinkCity Malaysia on Heritage Conservation of Historic Districts. In 2021, he also completed the course on Conserving Modern Architecture from the Getty Conservation Institute. 

With more than 12 years’ experience in government service, particularly in public private partnerships involving government lands, formulation of master development plans for urban renewal and township developments, coordination with other government agencies and private partners for the implementation of various development projects, and bidding and procurement activities.

Organic gardening enthusiast, with NC II in organic Agriculture Production and NC I in Trainers Methodology