International
29 Jun 2026
On 16 June 2026, the French Embassy in the Philippines hosted France Alumni Day Philippines 2026 on the theme “Scientific Talents,” at The Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City, Manila. Organised in partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines, the France Alumni Philippines Association and Campus France, the event brought together alumni, students, academics, researchers, institutional partners, and professionals for an evening of discussion and networking centred on French–Philippine scientific cooperation.
On this occasion, a Partnership Award was presented by H.E. Marie Fontanel, French Ambassador to the Philippines, to Raphael Guerrero, Dean of the School of Science and Engineering at Ateneo de Manila University, in recognition of an outstanding academic cooperation and the launch of the BS IDE programme, the only joint engineering programme between France and the Philippines.
The award celebrates more than 25 years of partnership between Icam and Ateneo, today the largest mobility of Filipino students and faculty to France.
BS IDE students at the heart of the event
This partnership reached a major milestone in autumn 2025 with the launch of the Bachelor of Science Innovation Design Engineering (BS IDE) at the new Ateneo-Icam site in Manila. The first international, multidisciplinary, and professionally oriented engineering programme offered in the Philippines, this four-year course combines academic excellence, work experience, a commitment to integral ecology, and international openness, with a compulsory year in France.
Around twenty first-year BS IDE students took part in the evening, alongside alumni and French companies based in the Philippines. The event aimed to highlight the close ties between studying in France and career opportunities within the French–Philippine economic network.
Themes addressing the Philippines’ key challenges
The evening featured leading speakers, including Minister Renato Solidum (Department of Science and Technology) as keynote speaker, and Dr Jane Gay Perez, Director General of the Philippine Space Agency. The event explored the role of space technologies in agronomy and climate resilience, as well as the transition toward green energy, topics that speak directly to the country’s challenges, as the Philippines is the second most climate-exposed nation in the world.
Dr King Harold Recto, second from the left
Dr King Harold Recto, Program Director for Innovation Design Engineering (DE/RES) at Ateneo de Manila University, took part in the panel “Transitioning to Green Energy, from Global Perspectives to Local Solutions,” alongside Mariz Alcancia (National Institute of Geological Sciences, UP Diliman), Maxime Droit (CEO of REurasia Energy Solutions and co-chair of the Energy & Renewable Energy Committee at CCI France Philippines), Pascal Esvan (Country Manager Philippines, TotalEnergies), Damien Huppert (Vice President Global Procurement, ICTSI), and Ian Chester Colorina (Executive Director of Meralco Power Academy and HR Head of MGEN Renewables).
France Alumni Day was supported by numerous partners, including the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Philippine Space Agency, the France Alumni Philippines Association, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines, the Alliance Française de Manille, and Campus France Philippines.
@photo credits Samuel Francisco
