Background and agenda

Background and agenda of the Philippine launch and high-level national policy dialogue on the ASEAN Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity

Agenda | 08 October 2014

Background


The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a single regional common market and production base, will become a reality in 2015 for the 600 million women and men of the ten ASEAN member States. This initiative will lead to the freer flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labour in the region. Tariffs and non-tariff barriers will be reduced which will have implications for intra-regional trade and investment. New opportunities for growth and prosperity are likely to emerge from deeper regional integration, but the challenge is to ensure that growth is inclusive and prosperity is shared.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with support from the ASEAN Secretariat, have conducted a study on ASEAN Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity. The report examines the impact of the AEC on labour markets through economic model simulations, with the aim of offering evidence-based policy recommendations towards fostering better jobs and equitable growth. The study highlights priorities to address the challenges and opportunities of the AEC in terms of strengthening regional cooperation mechanisms, facilitating structural change and improving job quality, enhancing skills development, boosting productivity and wages, and managing labour migration.

The Philippines population of nearly 100 million accounts for around one in six of the ASEAN total. Domestic consumption is around 84 per cent of GDP, among the highest rates in the region. Thus, the country’s consumer base is critical to the success of ASEAN integration in terms of expanding regional demand. In terms of production, the country’s electronics, information technology and business process outsourcing industries are key sectors, and the prospects for these and other growing industries under the AEC are vast. Whether or not the AEC leads to greater shared prosperity in the Philippines, however, will depend significantly on the labour market policies adopted. Despite strong economic growth in recent years, high inequality and working poverty persists. Low labour productivity, especially in agriculture, and widespread vulnerable employment continue to slow efforts towards greater social progress.


Agenda
 


8.00 - 9.00
Registration
9.00 - 9.20


 
Opening ceremony and welcome address
  • Mr Lawrence Jeff Johnson
    Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines
9.20 - 9.50




 

Presentation
Overview of the Philippines’ Action Plan
for the ASEAN Economic Community 2015
  • Honourable Arsenio Balisacan
    Secretary, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)
    to be represented by
    Deputy Director-General Emmanuel Esguerra
9.50 - 10.20




 

Session 1
Overview: ASEAN Community 2015:
Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity
  • Ms Sukti Dasgupta
    Chief of Regional Economic and Social Analysis Unit (RESA)
    ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
10.20 - 10.30
Coffee/ tea break
10.30 - 11.25













 

Session 2
High-level panel: Opportunities and challenges of integration
for better jobs and shared prosperity in the Philippines


Moderator: Mr Coco Alcuaz, Anchor and Business News Head
      ABS-CBN News Channel
  • Honourable Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz
    Secretary, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
  • Honourable Arsenio Balisacan
    Secretary, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)
    to be represented by
    Deputy Director-General Emmanuel Esguerra
  • Mr Edgardo Lacson
    President, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
  • Mr Josua Mata
    Secretary-General, Alliance of Progressive Labor
    -Sentro ng Progresibong Pagbabago (APL-SENTRO)
Question and answer
11.25 - 11.30


 

Closing remarks
  • Mr Richard Bolt
    Country Director, ADB Philippines Country Office

11.30 - 12.00

Press Conference

Venue: 2nd Floor, Meeting Rooms 1-2
Business Centre, Marriott Hotel