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

The Shadow Economy: Illegal Trade in Mindanao | A Public Lecture

Details

The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman will be hosting “The Shadow Economy: Illegal Trade in Mindanao” a lecture by Dr. Francisco Lara that will be held on Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m, Room 207, Hall of Wisdom, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. The lecture is free and open to the public. 

In this lecture, Dr. Francisco Lara examines the illicit underground economy of Mindanao, one that involves trade in drugs, arms, bootleg copies of movies, kidnap-for-ransom, carjacking, and mercenary services, among others. He links this little-known phenomenon to Mindanao’s formal, legal economy, and shows how it impacts the political and economic dynamics of the island: legitimacy of authority, rule of clans and local warlords, sources of unrest, and the exclusion of Mindanao from the fruits of national economic growth. 

Francisco Lara, Ph.D. is the Philippine Coordinator of International Alert, “an independent peace-building organisation that works to lay the foundations for lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict.” He earned his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics and Political Science and was Research Associate at the Crisis States Research Center, Development Studies Institute, London School of Economics. Once the head of the British Volunteer Service Organization (VSO) in the Philippines, he is the editor of and contributor to Out of the shadows: Violent Conflict and the Real Economy of Mindanao (2013) and the author of Insurgents, Clans, and States: Political Legitimacy and Resurgent Conflict in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines (2014). 

This lecture is organized as part of a seminar course on the political economy of late development, which is handled by Dr. Antoinette R. Raquiza.  The venue is small, and limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Free admission. Please inform Mr. Janus Nolasco of your intent to attend at 981.8500 local 3586 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Photo: Lecture poster. Click to enlarge. 

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.