By Ron Adrian A. Dionaldo, CPP

Congratulations to Centralian James Patrick P. Manejero, BSPkgE Batch 2012, for earning the Certified Packaging Professional, Lifetime (CPPL) designation from the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

James Patrick P. Manejero, CPPL, a graduate in Bachelor of Science in Packaging Engineering, received the Certified Packaging Professional, Lifetime (CPPL) status from the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP).

This is the first time a BS PkgE alumni acquired the lifetime designation, which is the global standard of significant industry experience in packaging.

A graduate of Batch 2012, Manejero started his CPP journey four years later in 2016, and finally got the CPPL title by 2026.

“CPPL was always a goal of mine ever since I started my CPP journey,” recalls Manejero. “So even if I had to allocate time, money, and other resources on membership and recertifying, I pushed through [because] I had that commitment to myself.”

The CPPL designation can only be acquired after finishing 3 recertifications every 3 years, along with an annual membership to IOPP based in the USA, and only after a rigorous evaluation per recertification. This evaluation can come in the form of a narrative exam, professional development points, a patent, or a research publication.

The designation offers a lot of benefits according to Manejero, including professional networking opportunities; access to member-only resources of IoPP like technical reports, industry trends, and insider information; and as a talking point especially to those not familiar with the title.

“Even though [BSPkgE] currently has no PRC Board exams and no Philippine government titles, Packaging Engineering has a global standard that we can comply with,” he added.

Despite this, Manejero remains grounded and says that CPPL is just a title, because “what matters more is that you add value [and] make positive progressive changes to which organization you are part of.”

Currently, he is an R&D Senior Packaging Engineer at Mead Johnson Nijmegen in The Netherlands, where he lives with his wife, Marym, who is also a BSPkgE alumna, and their kids, Kairi and Lucia.

This milestone is a momentous occasion as the Packaging Engineering Department celebrates its 20th year this 2026, in tandem with the College of Engineering’s 90th year anniversary.