Jury Profiles
Jury Panel for Design Challenge 1: Sustainable Shelter
Arlene Christy D. Lusterio, Executive Director, TAO-Pilipinas, Inc.
Arlene Lusterio is the Executive Director of TAO-Pilipinas and a licensed Architect and Environmental Planner. She has a Master of Architecture in Human Settlements from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Arlene is also a Research Fellow of the Asian Scholarship Foundation and in 2006 conducted a 9-month study on the river basin and coastal settlements in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Prior to establishing TAO-Pilipinas in 2001, Arlene worked for the urban planning firm Planning Resource and Operations System (PROS) under Dr. Geronimo V. Manahan. She also worked as coordinator for the Philippine Institute for Alternative Futures and Building Alliances for Action and Initiatives (BALAI), and as project architect for the people’s organization Samahan Para sa Angkop na Pabahay ng San Pablo Apostol (SAPSPA).
Apart from being the ED, Arlene is also the Human Settlements and Environment Program Coordinator of TAO. She takes the helm in implementing technical assistance projects with various urban poor community organizations in Metro Manila. These projects include subdivision planning and site development for socialized housing, conceptual development planning for negotiations on security of tenure, and architectural designs of housing units and community facilities.
Nathaniel von Einsiedel, PhD., President, Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners
Nathaniel von Einsiedel is a registered Environmental Planner as well as Architect in the Philippines, and accredited as an Urban Development Specialist by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations. His over 30 years of experience in government, the private sector, and international development assistance agencies include low-income urban housing, mixed-use complexes, heritage conservation, downtown redevelopment, sustainable communities, and capacity building for urban management. He was the Commissioner for Planning of Metro Manila from 1979-1989 where he established the first ever Metro Manila Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordinance, the Capital Investments Folio, and Local Government Planning System. While serving government, his notable projects included the BLISS Housing Projects, Ecology Village, and the Milelong and Creekside Commercial Areas. He was also part of the team that proposed the redevelopment through public-private partnerships of the military bases (Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, Crame, and Villamor) and other government-owned properties such as the Alabang Stock Farm (now Filinvest City) and North Triangle Area (site of the new Trinoma Shopping Center).
He also served as the Regional Director for Asia-Pacific of the United Nations Urban Management Program where he initiated and supervised various development and capacity building projects in 22 cities in 11 Asian countries. Since his return to the Philippines in 2004, he has been focusing on private consulting work, with a wide variety of urban planning projects in Metro Manila, Iloilo City, and Negros Occidental, as well as with the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations, and a number of bilateral assistance agencies. He is a Fellow and presently the President of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP), a Trustee of the Heritage Conservation Society, and a member of the Green Architecture Movement. He holds a BS Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines, a MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University in New York, and a PhD in Public Administration from Pacific Western University in Hawaii. He is currently developing his own property in Silay City into a sustainable community for 25 families.
Ramon Alberto B. Nolido, President, R.A. Nolido Construction Corporation
Ramon Nolido is the President of R.A. Nolido Construction Corporation and a licensed Civil Engineer. He has a Master in Business Administration, a Master in Structural Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. His firm’s projects include residential, institutional and commercial establishments, hotel and resort developments, and infrastructure projects.
Ramby is also a consultant and resource person for the Construction Manpower Development Foundation, National Engineering Center (NEC) in UP, and Continuing Providers of Education, Inc. He is consulted for his expertise in construction management and supervision, cost estimating, construction project controls, and value engineering. He was also a faculty member and assistant professor at the UP College of Architecture where he taught structural design of timber, steel and reinforced concrete. He is a member/director of various professional organizations such as Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Philippine Constructors Association, and Ateneo Alumni Association.
Jury Panel for Design Challenge 2: Trash Transformation
Gertrudes C. Samson, Education & Training Program Coordinator, TAO-Pilipinas, Inc.
Ger Samson is a licensed architect and current Education & Training Coordinator of TAO-Pilipinas. She has a Master of Architecture in Human Settlements from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Before joining TAO, she was the Technical Officer in the Construction Technology Unit of Habitat for Humanity Philippines (a non-profit ecumenical Christian housing ministry involved in building homes for disadvantaged Filipino families), conducted trainings and construction supervision on alternative building technologies like Concrete Interlocking Blocks (CIB) and Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (iCEB). Ger also previously worked as program coordinator and architect for Samahan Para sa Angkop na Pabahay ng San Pablo Apostol (SAPSPA) and as project officer for Alternative Planning Initiatives (ALTERPLAN), a non-profit organization focusing on the promotion and advocacy of integrated socio-physical planning.
At TAO-Pilipinas, Ger works with several community organizations to implement projects on participatory community development planning, community-based solid waste management, community-based disaster risk management, and capability building for community leaders. Her masteral thesis is entitled “From Emergency Shelter Towards Implementation of Disaster Resistant Technologies in the Philippines” and she has lectured on this topic in various venues throughout the country.
Rachelle F. Medina, Editor-in-Chief, Real Living Magazine
Rachelle Medina is the Editor in Chief of Real Living, a monthly home and lifestyle magazine, and Book Editor of Real Home Ideas, an annual sourcebook on design tips, decorating trends and home furnishings published by Summit Media. She has also contributed articles on design for Urban Pads and Groovy Homes, design books published by Page One in Singapore. Other publications where she has been associate editor or contributing writer include BluPrint, MEGA, My Home, SPACE, The Manila Times, and Good Housekeeping.
Rachelle is a licensed interior designer and has a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She has worked for design firms like JME Interiors, ADR Designs, and EXCELL Contractors & Developers, Inc.
One jury member to be announced
Jury Panel for Design Challenge 3: Portable Playground
Maria Faith Y. Varona, Research & Publications Program Coordinator, TAO-Pilipinas, Inc.
Faith Varona is a licensed architect and environmental planner and the Research & Publications Program Coordinator of TAO-Pilipinas. She has a Master of Urban Management and Development from the Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)-Erasmus University in Netherlands and a Post-graduate Diploma in Urban & Regional Planning and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines in Diliman.
Before establishing TAO-Pilipinas in 2001, she worked for various non-government organizations such as Alternative Planning Initiatives (ALTERPLAN), NGO-Coalition for Cooperatives Development, Oxfam-America, and Building Alliances for Action and Initiatives (BALAI). Her current projects at TAO include the TAO Resource Center (mini-library, publication of a bi-annual magazine, and online resources on sustainable human settlements and social housing); research projects on alternative materials and technology; and process documentation of TAO’s technical assistance to urban poor communities. Gender-sensitive development planning and architectural heritage preservation are among her other research interests.
Eleanor C. Ramos, Animator and Film Director
Ellen Ramos is a licensed Architect and has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She worked as a full-time architect and CADD specialist before studying animation at the Mowelfund Film Institute in 1992. She joined more workshops under German experimental filmmaker Christoph Janetzko. In 1996, she was the Philippine representative at the ASEAN-COCI Film Workshop in Malaysia, and was the 1997 UNESCO-Aschberg scholar at the Cologne Academy of Media Arts in Germany. She was the Head of Education and Animation Lecturer at the Mowelfund Film Institute from 1993-2004.
She has worked on various short film productions as animation director, production designer, set artist, editor, and sound recordist. She also does graphic design work for cultural events and institutions. An active member of Pinoy Animagination – a group of Filipino independent animators, her creation, “Doon sa Kabila ng Bulkan” (The Other Side of the Volcano), won the First Prize for Animation at the 1997 CCP Awards for Alternative Film & Video and has been selected to compete in various international film festivals. With co-director Paolo Villaluna, their debut feature film “Ilusyon” is the first digital film to be Rated A by the Cinema Evaluation Board in 2005. Their second film “Selda” (2007) is set to compete in international film festivals this year.
Presently, she is involved with Blacksoup, a film collective working on documentaries, audio-visual productions, and multi-media projects.
One jury member to be announced
