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

Dr. Sevilla Discusses Development, Labor Mobility, and ASEAN Integration in Mapua Foundation Day Forum

Details

Dr. Henelito Sevilla, Jr. of the UP Asian Center was invited to deliver a lecture, “Analyzing ASEAN Integration in the Context of the Philippine National Development and Free Movement of People Across Borders” at an ASEAN Integration forum held last 25 January 2016 at the Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila. 

The forum, “Significance and Challenges of ASEAN Integration,” was organized by the Mapua Institute of Technology as part of their 90th anniversary celebrations. The university was established on 25 January 1925. 

In his lecture, Dr. Sevilla outlines the historical evolution of ASEAN in the context of regional community building, its objectives and goals, and challenges and opportunities to integration. He recognizes the fact that while the ASEAN vision has been generally moving slower than projected, its efforts towards regional economic cooperation should still be considered as a milestone. 

Dr. Sevilla suggests that Filipinos recognize and give more consideration to ASEAN integration, and that the government exert more efforts to meet standardized policies and measurements used to evaluate the skills of Filipino professionals. He also called for a stronger national campaign to educate Filipinos on the benefits and challenges of ASEAN integration, so that they can become not just beneficiaries but also strategic partners in the integration process.  

Apart from Dr. Sevilla, Dr. George Manzano of the University of Asia and the Pacific, and Ambassador Claro Cristobal of the Foreign Service Institute, Department of Foreign Affairs were invited to speak at the forum.

Photo: Dr. Sevilla (5th, L-R) together with the students of Mapua Institute of Technology. Grabbed from Dr. Sevilla's Facebook page.

Dr. Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr. is Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman and Assistant to the Dean for Administration and Public Affairs. He specializes in Mindanao studies, Philippine-Middle East Relations, political economy of the Middle East, energy security in Asia, Persian Gulf security and Middle Easterners in the Philippines. The coordinator of the West Asian Studies graduate program of the UP Asian Center, he handles several graduate courses such as Seminar on West Asia, Philippine Foreign Relations in Selected Countries in West Asia, and History and Development of Philippine Foreign Policy.

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. View recent and upcoming Lectures & Conferences and read other News & Announcements. Join our mailing list to receive invitations to lectures, conferences, etc.