Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Asian Center Faculty, Students Among Presenters at Intl Conference on Philippine Studies (ICOPHIL)

Details

Dr. Tina Clemente along with Asian Center participants of the ICOPHIL 2016 in Dumaguete. From right to left: Pam Combinido, JM Lanuza, Dr. Clemente, Paulo Villar, and Patricia Villa. 

Dr. Tina Clemente, Associate Professor, and two Philippine Studies majors of the UP Asian Center took part in the 10th International Conference on Philippine Studies (ICOPHIL), which was held from 6 to 8 July 2016 in Silliman University, Dumaguete City, Philippines.

Dr. Clemente served on the conference’s organizing committee and chaired a panel, “Philippines-China Relations: Insights on Powers, Economy and Law,” where she presented her paper, "Philippine Economic Vulnerability in Philippines-China Relations."

In her study, Dr. Clemente looks into “three major aspects of the asymmetrical bilateral economic relationship. The first important inquiry is the pattern of asymmetry in trade and investment. Nuances in China’s economic interests in specific Philippine industries and sectors shall be looked into. We wish to elucidate how critical engagement in these interests is to China, given that the dollar value or traffic of trade and investment may not easily reveal criticality. The second inquiry is on how the integrated regional production base affects China’s external behavior. In other words, we ask how linkages in global economic arrangements influence China’s strategic actions towards the Philippines. The last inquiry delves into how the dynamic in Philippine domestic development should become part of Philippine strategic calculations.”

Joining her in the panel were Chito Sta. Romana (R), former lecturer at the UP Asian Center and president of the Philippine Association of China Studies, and Dr. Jay Batongbacal (L), Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMLOS), University of the Philippines. Photo (L): Dr. Clemente (middle with Dr. Jay Batongbacal and Chito Sta. Romana). Right: Rard Daguio (L) with fellow panelists.

Students of the UP Asian Center also took part in the conference. Mr. Jose Mari Lanuza chaired and moderated the session, “Pointed Conversations: Gender, Poverty and Politics,” where he presented “How Does Information Poverty Affect Voting Behavior?.” In this paper, Mr. Lanuza, who is a Philippine Studies major specializing on development studies, explains how and why “information poverty” --  defined as “a lack of correct and adequate information” on candidates -- is “linked to the voting decisions of the poor electorate.” He then discusses “why poor voters tend to be information-poor” and why they vote for “questionable politicians” who do not have the poor’s long-term interests. Also joining Mr. Lanuza’s panel was Ms. Pam Combinido, an independent scholar who works with Dr. Clemente in several China-related research projects.

Another Philippine Studies major, Rard Daguio (L), explores a crucial issue in post-war transportation in a paper, "Ang Magkaribal: A History of Road versus Rail in Metropolitan Manila, 1957-1985." Mr. Daguio looks at “historical documents...and planning blueprints” to explain why the government chose to build more roads in Metro Manila at the expense, and eventual decline of rail transport. His paper is part of a panel, “Transportation Modes, Infrastructure, and Plans: A History of Transportation and Urbanization in Metropolitan Manila from the Japanese Period to the Marcos Era.” Joining Mr. Daguio’s panel were Professor Ricardo Jose of the UP Department of History and Marco Lagman, who teaches at the UP Department of Geography (Photo courtesy of Dr. Jose). 

In attendance at the conference were Mr. Paulo VIllar, who’s majoring in China Studies and Ms. Patricia Villa, former editorial associate of Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. An alumnus of the Asian Center, Dr. Koki Seki presented “Deploying the “Social” without Welfare State: Formality and Informality of the Homeowners Association in an Urban Informal Settlement of Metro Manila.” 

Dr. Tina Clemente is a member of the Board of Trustees, 2014-2016 of the Philippine Studies Association (PSA), which organizes ICOPHIL roughly every four years. Silliman University hosted this year’s conference, whose theme was “Re-Imagining Community, Scholarship, Citizenship.”

Program • Conference Website • ICOPHIL • Keynote

The Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.