Officers and members of the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) expressed their appreciation to Ghazi Al-Abbasi, former SCE secretary general who recently ended his term of office.

The SCE staff honored Al-Abbasi during a send-off party held at the SCE headquarters in the Saudi capital recently.

Hamad Al-Shagawi, SCE chairman, praised Al-Abbasi for being energetic and hardworking and said that the secretary general had made significant contributions to the engineering profession.

“He was knowledgeable and dynamic in the performance of his responsibilities as SCE secretary general. He was also accommodating when SCE members approached him for help,” Al-Shagawi said.

Arab News tried to call Al-Abbasi for his reaction but could not be contacted. He is currently teaching at the King Saud University (KSU).

Melvin Candelario, deputy secretary general of the Philippine Council for Engineers and Architects (PCEA), added that Al-Abbasi worked hard during his stint as SCE secretary general.

“He encouraged all engineers of various nationalities to become SCE members leading to an increase in the number of legally accredited members which currently stands at 180,000 members,” Candelario said.

He added that the officers of the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) were impressed with Al-Abbasi when he and Ibrahim Al-Dhobaie, deputy SCE secretary-general, visited Manila for key talks late last year where they signed the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) and Qualifications Framework of Filipino Engineers and Architects with the Philippines’ Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) headed by chairperson, Teresita R. Manzala.

Al-Abbasi and Al-Dhobaie also met with top officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and signed agreements related to Filipino engineers and architects who are SCE members.

The SCE board is scheduled to meet soon to elect a new secretary general who will serve a six-year term. However, the general assembly can extend the tenure to nine years.