WE BELONG to the Asean region.

The 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(Asean) are the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand,
and Vietnam. In 2003, these countries agreed to integrate their economies.

In 2007, the members of the Asean countries approved a blueprint to guide each member on
initiatives and measures to achieve regional integration which is scheduled for 2015. Asean integration
allows its member-countries (and the citizens of those countries) to join in the free flow of capital, labor,
services, goods, and foreign investments.

For the Philippines, this is a big challenge because integration will also mean that Asean members will
pay less tax, less custom duties, and less import taxes. This pattern follows the European Common
Market (European Union). In our case we will also have the Asean Common Market. The Philippines (as
a member) will consider people and products from the Asean region, as if they are people and products
of our country also.

This is good for Filipinos because there will be a wider door for job markets in the region. But then, the
job market will be tougher. We have to compete with other qualified applicants from the region. We
have already proven in the past (before Asean integration) that Filipinos can best adapt to multicultural
workplaces. We are good in English. (I would like to believe that.)

Now, I will go to this controversial issue. That could also be the reason why we have this regional
community approach to integration of education in the region. This could be the reason why the K to 12
Program has been instituted so that we can level off with Asean and the rest of the world. (I am not just
sure if our expert planners in education and also our Congress have made a careful study before the
implementation of the program.)

Keen observers say that there is the synchronization of the academic calendar of Asean universities to
accommodate the mobility of the faculty and students within the region. Look at this, only the
Philippines has its school opening in June. Most universities in Japan, Korea, China, and North America
start their academic calendar in August or September.

Sen. Miriam Santiago said, The synchronization of the academic calendar of the Philippine universities
with most Asean, European, and American academic partners will create more joint programs and
partnerships with other universities and allow students to get transfer credits from different universities
in the Asean.

The strengthening of our universities is a necessity because we want to compete with the world as
global athletes, not just barangay warriors. That could be the reason why we should involve the
Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority, and the Department of Labor and Employment to have that assurance that our training, skills,
subjects, and courses would fit competition in the world market.

I know that our K to 12 Program has more lapses and creates problems. That is why government experts
(if we have experts) should come in and look into the program with cyclonic eyes, and reconstruct or
improve our system of education in the country. Let us not give rooms for doubt to our parents and
educators that the people upstairs who are in-charge simply ponder. When there is trouble, they
delegate. When they are in doubt, they mumble.
In our province, we only identify few specialist schools for Technical-Vocational, School of the Arts,
Agriculture, Fisheries, Information Technology, and Tourism. How about our secondary schools in
coastal areas and upland barangays which are far away from pilot schools? I also know that some basic
problems have not been answeredlack of classrooms, books, working tools and equipment, laboratory
facilities, and competent teachers.

I know that our colleges and universities in Bacolod and Negros Occidental have problems. Solve your
problems (easier said than done) and get ready (if not ready yet) for Asean integration. Make inventory
of your desirable assets: qualified administrative staff; experienced educators and mentors;
internationally responsive academic programs; school buildings with classrooms equipped with state-of-
the-art technology; and a beautiful and world-class campus conducive to teaching-learning activities.

Let us show the world that our institutions of learning are geared towards total human growth, spiritual
development, and economic uplift. (You can add more.) All these will attract foreign students and
scholars. This will also convince Filipino students to patronize their own colleges and universities.