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

Dean Joefe Santarita Joins Board of Judges for 7th ASEAN Quiz National Competition

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Photo: Participants in the 7th ASEAN Quiz National Competition. 

Dean Joefe Santarita of the UP Asian Center was invited to the board of judges for  the 7th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Quiz National Competition held from 5 to 8 April 2016 at the People’s Television Network Inc. Broadcast Center in Quezon City, Philippines.

The National Quiz featured students from various public and private high schools across the Philippines. The top three winners will represent the country in the 7th ASEAN Quiz Regional Competition, which will be hosted by the Lao People’s Democratic Republic between September and October 2016. The Regional Competition will feature students from all 10 member states of the ASEAN.

Now on its 7th round of implementation, the Quiz, according to the ASEAN website, aims to “elicit the spirit of healthy competition among ASEAN youth in a friendly quiz game that exposes them to the history, social, cultural, political, and economic developments of ASEAN in the region.” Read the press release from the Philippine Information Agency or view the memo from the Department of Education to learn more about the quiz.

This year’s national competition was organized by the People’s Television Network, Inc. in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Education, Presidential Communications Operations Office, Philippine Information Agency, and the Philippine Broadcasting Service.

Joining Dean Santarita as members of the Board of Judges are representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Education (DepEd). He specializes in Indian studies, migration studies, Philippine culture and society, maritime history and Southeast Asian political economy. Dr. Santarita, who obtained his Ph.D. in South Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore, handles several graduate courses at the UP Asian Center, including those on Regionalism and Community Building in Asia, Modern Asia, and Asia in Antiquity, among others. Visit his faculty profile. 

The UP 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. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.