Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs

(Concept Paper)

CARINAN, EZEKIEL JACOB D. CARINAN

a student of De La Salle University Manila

ID Number 11224754

©All Rights Reserved 2014

 THE AGENDA

His Excellency,

This concept paper aims to lobby the establishment of a committee under the Office of the
President of the Philippines that will be responsible for economic, political-security, and
socio-cultural affairs of the Philippines with ASEAN Community. The committee mentioned
above shall be named as the Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs.
 I. The Introduction

Brief Background

By 2015, ASEAN Economic Integration is expected to occur where free flow goods and
services, freer flow of capital, and elimination of trade barriers will happen. This is one of the
biggest challenges Philippines has to face, since this is either an opportunity or a threat to our
national economy.

It is to be remembered that in 2007, Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed

the pact with ASEAN Member Countries which has bound all to transform the ASEAN region
into a Single Market Place and Production Base.

The problem here is that our Former President signed the pact without us,
Philippines, studying first the ASEAN Integration, our advantage to it, and reviewing its
offers through our perspective. ASEAN Summit has just stated that this would be a
breakthrough opportunity for all of Heads of States without first requiring each country to
localize the effects of the Economic Integration in their respective nations.

After studying the ASEAN Integration with its facts, details, and the Philippines’s
upcoming struggles through the publication of studies of Philippine Institute for Development
Studies such as The ASEAN Community and the Philippines: Implementation, Outcomes,
Impacts and Ways Forward, I, as the author of this concept paper, see that the Philippines is not
yet prepared and has not yet prepared enough for the Economic Integration.

However, I acknowledge the fact that it perhaps can give us opportunities, best not to be
pessimistic about this change.

We should acknowledge the fact that Economic Integration is not the only decision
ASEAN Community can arrive into. In addition, Economic affairs of the said event is not limited
to its aspects, it also affects Socio-Cultural and Political-Security systems, as acknowledged by
the three founding pillars of ASEAN.

To prepare the Philippines for ASEAN Integration and the upcoming decisions of the
whole ASEAN Community, therefore I, Ezekiel Jacob D. Carinan, would be honored to lobby
the establishment of Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs attached to the
Office of the President of the Philippines.

Description of the Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs

Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs is an official committee

attached to the Office of the President. It is committee which will be handling the affairs of the
Philippines with ASEAN with the following aspects as drafted from ASEAN Pillars: Economic,
Socio-Cultural, and Political-Security. Specifically, and speaking about current events, this is an
ideal committee that will ensure and formulate policies for the upcoming ASEAN Economic
Integration and will be responsible for conducting researches that will examine and justify
decisions of the Philippines toward its affairs with ASEAN.

Primary Objectives

 To ensure that Philippines is strongly and timely prepared for future movements and
decisions ASEAN Community will recognize
 To help the Executive and Legislative branches of the Philippine government by
formulating policies, recommending legislations, amendments, and orders, and
conducting comprehensive and continuing researches to help the Philippines remain
competitive and benefitting in ASEAN Affairs
 To establish a body which shall propose nationally beneficial ASEAN movements
ASEAN Community may acknowledge to attain their realization and fulfillment toward a
developing region with equal and distributive advantages to each Member Country
 To establish an overall coordinating body to rationalize the functions and activities of
government ministries, private entities, and international organizations operating in the
Philippines, and the enforcement of laws and policies affecting and in relation with the
affairs of Philippines with ASEAN
II. Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairsa
III.

Food, Agriculture, and

Aquaculture
Infrastructure and Information
System Development, and
Telecommunications Regulation
Economic Ecology and Natural
Affairs Resources

Labor, Employment, and

Human Resource Development

Trade and
Commerce
Charters, Treaties, and
Blueprints Ammendments and
Recommendation
Security and
Defense
Multi-sectoral
Political-
Assembly for Peace, Unification, and
Security Reconciliation
Philippines-
Affairs
ASEAN Affairs
Competition
Laws and
Policies
Good
Governance

Education

Youth,
Women, and
Children
Socio-
Cultural Human Rights
Affairs
Poverty
Alleviation

Cultural
Affairs
Powers and Functions

Of the whole Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs

a. To supervise, examine, and evaluate activities, decisions, programs, and legislations

dealing with affairs of Philippines with ASEAN, their effect, and seen opportunities to
ensure compliance and achievement of established standards and priorities
b. To conduct conferences, public hearings, or meetings on any concerns related to its
jurisdiction and duties, as it deems necessary and appropriate
c. To conduct relevant and needed continuing studies pertaining to national development
related with ASEAN Affairs
d. To prepare timely reports and updates to the Office of the President
e. To formulate recommendations which would promote the establishment of a data banking
system, to pool information materials pertaining to Philippines-ASEAN affairs and
disciplines

The Structure

The Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs shall be composed by three

divisions to look at the holistic growth of national development of Philippines with ASEAN
Community. These are: Economic Affairs, Political-Security Affairs, and Socio-Cultural Affairs.

Economic Affairs

The Economic Affairs Division is composed of areas seen to be directly affected of

ASEAN movements and decisions. These are: Food, Agriculture and Aquaculture; Infrastructure
and Telecommunications Development; Ecology and Natural Resources; Labor, Employment
and Human Resources Development; and Trade and Commerce.

The table below will explain how the different areas comprise and are affected on the
Economic Affairs of the Philippines with ASEAN.

AREAS RELATIONSHIP TO FUNCTIONS

PHILIPPINES-ASEAN
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Food, Agriculture, and These are the following foundations  Conduct continuing
Aquaculture of a stable Philippine economy. The studies on food,
rate of accessibility and supply of agriculture, and
food through rich resources of aquaculture aimed for its
agriculture and aquaculture never improvement and
fails to indicate the good effect of a development in terms of
developing economy. As a its accessibility to all,
government, it should be ensured availability, and quality
that this is one of the advantages  Propose policies,
the Philippines can have for future legislations, and
 decisions and movements of
Philippines with ASEAN.
Infrastructure and One of the biggest markets in Asia
Information System is Telecommunication—an aspect
Development, and which has catalyzed the dynamism
Telecommunication of economic growth in the
Regulation Philippines. The Multi-sectoral
Assembly should look at how
Telecommunications Market will
be affected by ASEAN Integration
and how the change in the Market
will be beneficial for Filipino
consumers. In addition,
amendments to maintain
growth of these areas
 Ensure that economic
growth is in a positive
relationship with the
growth of these areas
 Assure that the growth in
these aspects are evenly
distributed to each
member of society
 Prepare plans and
propose initiatives
ASEAN may help if
deemed necessary to
develop these aspects
Economic Affairs is
founded by
 Formulate training
program proposals for
farmers to educate them
with innovative farming
methods by taking
advantage of product
knowledge through
ASEAN Economic
Integration’s diversity of
effects
 Propose necessary budget
appropriations for the
following programs
intended to make these
aspects remain
competitive nationally
and in ASEAN region
Note: harmonization of standard
tests for logistics advantages,
vehicle population in the Phil,
strategies for traffic in ASEAN
Integ, environmental concerns
for infrastructure development,
strategic transport modes,
manufacturing modes, Philippine
carriers’ welfare, job
opportunities under logistics
terms, logistics outside the
 country, government revenues to
these harmonization of logistics
to focus on infrastructural
development, telecommunication
joint-venture
Ecology and Natural Air, land, water pollution, waste
Resources management (electronics, plstic,
Styrofoam), climate change,
disaster risk management, green
advocacy, consumer health
protection, environmental health
protection, commitment of
businesses,
Labor, Employment,
and Human Resource
Development
Trade and Commerce

In today’s context

The divisions of the Multi-sectoral Assembly for Philippines-ASEAN Affairs shall

assume the following functions for the upcoming ASEAN Integration: