A total of 135 regional and local planners in the Cagayan Valley Region were briefed on the 2015 Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Integration during the conduct of the 4th Planners Convention led by the Regional Development Council 02 on September 22, 2015 at the Crown Pavilion, Ugac Sur, Tuguegarao City.

In preparation for the December 2015 deadline of the said economic integration, the technocrats were capacitated on the concepts of the integration particularly on its envisioned economic community, its three pillars and the instruments and commitments of the Philippines towards the realization of an ASEAN Community. The presentation was led by the nation’s expert in international trade and a former ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Ms. Glenda T. Reyes of the USAID Trade Project.

According to her, the integration of the Member-Countries aims to have one vision, one identity and one community where ‘peace and security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation are closely intertwined and reinforced to ensure durable peace, stability and shared prosperity in the Region.’
“This progressive undertaking is a community building process aimed to realize an open, dynamic, and resilient ASEAN community. Its efforts ensure closer and mutually beneficial integration among its member states,” she said.

Ms. Reyes stated that the fruition of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is expected to bring changes in trade and investment patterns of the Region. Through the AEC, barriers in trade will be removed or minimized, hence an improved environment for economic activities within the Region. However, she underscored that this should not only be a ‘trade in growth’, but also ‘growth in trade’ among the countries. She reiterated that the goal of the liberalized trading system is also to enhance competitiveness, and harness complementation among the member states as well as increase intra-ASEAN trade and investment.

The anticipated economic integration would expand the Philippine market by an estimated total of 625 million consumers from the 10 states in the Region which could reach up to a market size of 3.4 billion through the ASEAN Plus or the Free Trade Agreement with China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand. As of CY 2014, the Region’s GDP amounted to USD 2.57 trillion and a total trade of USD 2.4 trillion. However, Ms. Reyes informed that the Philippines’ contribution to the AEC is small compared to the other Member-Countries especially Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, among others. She then challenged the local planners to take advantage of the growing trade and achieve a ‘larger part in the pie.’

On the other hand, when asked if the Philippines is prepared for the 2015 ASEAN Integration, Ms. Reyes said that the PH is now strongly positioned for AEC. She also stated that the overall benefits of the AEC outweigh the costs and it has been pushing the member states including the Philippines to do the ‘right’ things.

This 2015 is a key milestone in ASEAN’s community building process and the AEC blueprint set the groundwork for an extensive economic integration agenda for ASEAN. The planned Post-2015 Agenda through the AEC Blueprint 2025 charts a deeper and sustainable growth agenda for ASEAN economic integration from 2016 to 2025.