Who We Are | Base Bahay Foundation

Maricen serves as the liaison for the projects of the Hilti Foundation in Asia which covers Affordable Housing and Technology, Economic Empowerment, and Music for Social Change. She is also the President and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for Base Bahay Foundation in the Philippines. She is responsible for providing the strategic direction for the organization, in coordination with the other Board members, as well as ensuring that it continues to live up to its Vision and Mission as a technology provider for high-quality social houses that have a social, environmental, and economic impact.
Prior to BASE, Maricen presents over 30 years of Sales, Marketing, and Operations experience covering consumer goods, banking, and real estate, in different senior management positions. She is also engaged in entrepreneurial ventures and continues to support private relief and livelihood projects and is focused on her calling for nation-building.

Luis is the General Manager of Base Bahay Foundation, Inc. (BASE). Luis has been with BASE for over 11 years. Under his leadership, BASE has advanced innovative bamboo-based building systems and contributed to the broader global discourse on sustainable and climate-resilient construction.

A civil engineer with degrees from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Universidad de los Andes, Luis is a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers in the United Kingdom. He has been working with bamboo for over 25 years. Luis co-authored the Colombian Bamboo Structural Design Code (NSR-10) and has supported the development of bamboo design codes in Ecuador, Nepal, Peru, and the Philippines. He represents Colombia in ISO Technical Committee TC 165 (Timber and Bamboo Structures) and has authored over 40 international publications.

Tanya manages the financial transactions of Base and ensures its compliance with internal and external financial and accounting policies and procedures. Likewise, she oversees and supervises the administrative function of the organization including employee and facility management, all financial commitments, and legislation relevant to the organization. Prior to Base, Tanya has 13 years of experience in financial and organizational management.

She graduated Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Major in Business Management at De La
Salle University, and finished her Master of Commerce in Finance at the University of New
South Wales (Australia).

Nischal earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, graduating at the top of his class from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal. He completed his PhD in Civil Engineering with a focus on bamboo connections at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.  After graduation, he worked as a consultant to BASE’s project in Nepal. Particularly, he assisted Habitat for Humanity Nepal in drafting the Nepal bamboo construction guideline and piloted experimental characterization of Nepalese bamboo species. As the Head of the Base Innovation Center, Nischal oversees research and development, writing of codes and standards, structural design, and the management of external partnerships.

Paulo is the Director of Business and Strategic Development at Base Bahay Foundation, where he focuses on enhancing the value chain and developing key partnerships. With a decade of experience in real estate, particularly in land acquisition and horizontal project development. His background in banking and manufacturing has refined his approach to business. Paulo holds a degree in Business Management with a minor in International Business from Ateneo de Manila University.