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Monday, 21 January 2013

IN FOCUS: Towards one ASEAN --  Should we fear it or should we welcome it?

The clock is ticking for the impending ASEAN Economic Cooperation (AEC) which has a target of 2015.  The plan envisions a region fully integrated into the global economy, a highly competitive economic region, and a region of equitable economic development. The areas of cooperation encompass trade and investments facilitation, movement of people, human resource development, financial integration, common mechanism in the political and security fields, and enhanced infrastructure and communications connectivity, to name a few.  

What is in store for the Philippines and its neighbouring countries once an ASEAN Community is established by 2015? Should we fear it or should we welcome it?  What challenges are confronting the ASEAN countries, particularly the Philippines, to turn this vision into reality. Find out what PIDS studies have to say.

  1. Managing the ASEAN Economic Integration Process in the Philippines: An Assessment of Progress in Trade Liberalization and Facilitation
  2. Achieving the ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Challenges for the Philippines
  3. Closer Trade and Financial Cooperation in ASEAN: Issues at the Regional and National Level with Focus on the Philippines
  4. Investment and Capital Flows: Implications of the ASEAN Economic Community
  5. ASEAN and the Challenge of Closer Economic Integration
  6. Economic Integration and Regional Cooperation in East Asia: A Pragmatic View
  7. Food Security, Agricultural Efficiency and Regional Integration

Want more?
PIDS has over 30 studies on regional economic integration and cooperation. Simply make a Google search with PIDS+regional economic integration as search terms. Or look for related studies via the SocioEconomic Research Portal for the Philippines.

 

PRESS RELEASES:

PIDS and ADB ink agreement on socioeconomic research portal
The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a memorandum of understanding that formalizes their partnership on the SocioEconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P) on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, at the ADB headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
<<READ MORE

First PIDS Seminar for 2013 features study on coordinating regional exchange rate policy
State think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) held on Jan. 9, 2013 the first Pulong Saliksikan for this year. The event featured the research presentation of economist Victor Pontines on the prospects and benefits of coordinating exchange rate policies within the ASEAN + 3.
<<READ MORE
 

DATABASE UPDATES:

Peso-Dollar Exchange Rate
The monthly average peso-dollar exchange rate went down further to 41.0067 in December, from 41.1222 in November. The figure above shows that the peso had become stronger compared to US dollar during the past year.

Source: BSP
(For the time-series monthly data on exchange rates, please refer this link: http://www2.pids.gov.ph/dirp2/pids2/tablelists/table/49)


Gross International Reserves (GIR)
Preliminary data showed that the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) reached US$84.2 billion as of end-December 2012, higher by US$8.9 billion (or by 11.8 percent) than the end-December 2011 level of US$75.3 billion and by US$0.3 billion relative to the end-November 2012 level. The end-December 2012 GIR level can cover 12.1 months worth of imports of goods and payments of services and income. It was also equivalent to 10.5 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.8 times based on residual maturity.” (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas). For the latest monthly data on GIR, please refer to this link : http://econdb.pids.gov.ph/tablelists/table/181

1

Headline Inflation Rates in the Philippines image
The year-on-year headline inflation rate went up to 2.9 percent in December from 2.8 percent in November 2012. According to the National Statistic Office (NSO) this was due to higher annual rates in food and non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages and tobacco indices.

The annual average headline inflation rate went down to 2.9 percent in 2012 from 4.2 percent in 2011.

For the latest data on Consumer Price Index and Inflation Rates by region, please refer to this link: http://econdb.pids.gov.ph/tablecategories/index/19.
 

SEMINAR UPDATES

Workshop on Multi-Sector Strategy in Addressing Inequities in Non-Communicable Diseases
Co-Sponsor: Dept. of Health
Date: January 16,2013
Time: 9:00
Venue: Dusit Hotel Thani Manila, Makati CityPIDS-CPBRD Forum on "Rice Rice Self-Sufficiency: Is It Feasible?"
Presenter: Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, Senior Research Fellow, PIDS
Co-Sponsor: Congressional Planning and Budget Research Department, House of Representatives
Date: January 28, 2013
Time: 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Venue: House of Representatives, Quezon City
 

NEW PUBLICATIONS


DP 2013-03: Getting Ready for the ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Philippine Investment Liberalization and Facilitation by Aldaba, Rafaelita M.

The paper examines the state of investment liberalization and facilitation in the Philippines and suggests policy measures to enable the country to comply with its ASEAN Economic Community commitments.
>>READ MORE

DP 2013-04: ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Labor Mobility and Mutual Recognition Arrangements on Professional Services by Aldaba, Rafaelita M.

The paper aims to identify the facilitating and deterring factors affecting the implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) in engineering, nursing, architecture, surveying, medical, dental practice, and accountancy.
>>READ MORE

DP 2013-05: ASEAN Economic Community 2015: SME Development - Narrowing Development Gap Measure
by Aldaba, Rafaelita M.

This paper evaluates the implementation of the 2010-2015 ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development and the 2004-2009 ASEAN Policy Blueprint for SME Development. The initial interviews and survey results yielded low average effectiveness scores for the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development.
>>READ MORE


DP 2013-06: ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Capacity-building Imperatives for Services Liberalization
by Aldaba, Rafaelita M.,Aldaba, Fernando T.

The paper aims to assess and determine the capacity-building needs required to liberalize trade in services in the Philippines. Through the ASEAN Framework on the Trade in Services, the Philippines has committed to liberalize various sectors including air transport, maritime transport, construction, financial services, and telecommunications.
>>READ MORE


DP 2013-07: What Constrains PWDs to Participate in Discount Privileges? The Case of Bus Fare and Medical Care Discounts in the Philippines
by Tabuga, Aubrey D.

The Philippines is at par with developed economies in terms of creating and passing laws that protect and uphold the rights of, and mainstream persons with disability (PWDs) into the society. However, pioneering surveys on the condition of PWDs reveal that ...
>>READ MORE

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