Dr. Eduardo Tadem, editor in chief of Asian Studies, met with the editors of other Asian studies journals last August 14-15, 2013 at the National University of Singapore.
They discussed current trends and developments in journal publication, including the ongoing need to build and strengthen online presence, finding a niché in the field, and the debates surrounding open access, among others.
This was part of a two-day conference on “The Study of Southeast Asia Today,” which also launched the new PhD in Comparative Asian Studies program of the NUS.
Discussing ASEAN Integration, University of the Philippines in the Visayas
Dr. Aileen S.P. Baviera and Dr. Joefe B. Santarita, were guest speakers at a lecture on the 'ASEAN integration 2015 and Beyond' held on August 19, 2013 at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) in Iloilo City. The lecture was organized by the UPV Division of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Baviera gave an overview of ASEAN integration and community building, covering its economic, sociocultural and political-security pillars. She underscored that integration was bound to produce winners and losers among various stakeholders, and that it was important for affected sectors to prepare for what is yet to come: the freer flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled labor. Dr. Baviera also discussed the ASEAN Political Security Community, which proposes cooperation in conflict resolution and peace building, among others.
Dr. Santarita, on the other hand, discussed the case of human capital development and its role in the formation of a people-centered ASEAN in 2015. He outline the current efforts of the ASEAN in enhancing the circulation of human capital in Southeast Asia, particularly the implementation of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) on engineering, nursing, architectural, accountancy, dental and tourism services.
Taking Part in ICIRD 2013, Chulalongkorn University 
Four Asian Center students and a professor took part in the 3rd International Conference on International
Relations and Development (ICIRD 2013) on August 22-23 at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The event is an annual gathering of scholars on Southeast Asia. The theme for 2013 was “Beyond Borders: Building a Regional Commons in Southeast Asia”.
Dr. Eduardo Tadem presented two papers, “The ASEAN Experience: Delusions of Integration" and "Alternative Approaches on Territorial Disputes in Asia." He was also part of a "Distinguished Speakers Roundtable Concluding Plenary Discussion.”
Maria Ima Ariate, an MA Asian Studies student, presented "Political Representation of Women in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam" and "The Notions of Self in Southeast Asia". Other Asian Center students who attended were Jasmine Ferrer, June Taguiwalo, Katrina Navallo and Rodellyn Manalac.
Paper presentations in ISSCO 2013 and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr. Tina Clemente presented a paper at the 8th International Conference of the International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO) on August 17-18 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The ISSCO is a yearly gathering of scholars of overseas Chinese in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Dr. Clemente’s paper, “Crowding Out the Competition: Chinese Commercial Success in Spanish Philippines” discussed the nature, extent, and impact of entrepreneurial activities of the Chinese in the Philippines during Spanish colonial times. She pointed out, among other things, how their success posed a threat to the colonial administration, which tried to effectively manage the Chinese through explusions and bans, among others.
She was also the keynote speaker in the Seminar on Cultural Economics organized on August 23, 2013 by the Program Pascasarjana Universitas Andalas at Padang, West Sumatra. She presented her research on guanxi as informal enforcement among Chinese engaged in commerce during the Spanish period in the Philippines.