The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), according to Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, will find it hard to become a major economic force by 2050 if it fails to meet its goal to become a fully functioning economic community by 2025.
Roy Stephen C. Canivel (WWW. INQUIRER.NET 11/15/17) wrote: “Arroyo, who chaired Asean in 2007, said this in her speech during the Asean Business and Investment Summit (Abis) on Nov. 14, wherein she was tasked to talk about what Asean would look like 50 years from now.
An economist, classmate of former US President Bill Clinton, now 2nd district representative of Pampanga, GMA said she “has no crystal ball and neither has everyone”, noting how difficult it is to predict the future, given how unpredictable Asean has been. However, she said hitting the bloc’s goals nearly a decade from now would give it a “great chance” of becoming a stronger economy in five decades.
“In essence, the region wants to be highly integrated and cohesive and at the same time inclusive and people-centered. If we achieve our vision in eight years, we have a great chance of being a global force in 50 years, but if we can’t even achieve that vision in 2025 we’ll have an uphill battle,” she said with conviction.
GMA added: “There was a need to break down nontariff barriers in the region, as well as implement agreements that aim to bring down barriers on the flow of labor”.
Established in 2015, the Asean Economic Community (AEC) laid down a blueprint for the decade ahead.
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Month-long trivia continued: November 23 –Franklin Pierce born 1804;
November 24—Baruch Spinoza born 1632; Zachary Taylor born 1784; Henri de Toulouse-Lautree born 1864; Lee Harvey Oswald, accused assassin of President Kennedy, killed by Jack Ruby, 1963;
November 25 – Andrew Carnegie born 1835; Pope John XXIII born 1881; Independence Day in Suriname;
November 26 – First national Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., 1789;
November 28 –William Blake born 1757; Independence Proclamation Day in Albania; Independence Day in Mauritania;
November 29 –George Brown born 1818; Louisa May Alcott born 1832; Commander Richard E. Byrd made first flight over South Pole, 1929; Changes in the Roman Catholic liturgy, including the use of English in many parts of the mass, enacted in the U.S., 1964; Nellie Tayloe Ross’s Birthday in Wyoming;
November 30 – Jonathan Swift born 1667; Cyrus Field born 1819; Mark Twain born 1835; Sir Winston Churchill born 1874; Independence Day in Barbados; National Day in Benin (Source: The New Book of Knowledge, Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc. Danbury, Connecticut, Vol. 13 N);
National scene—Bonifacio Day nationwide; Local scene—Feast of St. Andrew in San Andres, Catanduanes, headed by Municipal Mayor Peter C. Cua. Unfortunately, boxing was scrapped as one of the main events due to the death of a would-be amateur pugilist while on sparring practice.
