A r i a s , S t e p h a n i e R . A . V .

A r . L u i s M . F e r r e r
P r o f e s s i o n a l P r a c t i c e 3

2 5 | J a n u r a y | 2 0 1 4

This paper examines the purpose and
benefits of worker mobility within the region
of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN). It focuses on the implications of
the impending establishment of the ASEAN
Economic Community by 2015 as
specifically governed by rules and regional
commitments on free flow services, mutual
recognition of qualifications and skills,
movement of natural persons, and
movement of skilled labor.

ASEAN Policy on Opening
Borders to Professionals
and APEC Architects.
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
College of Architecture
S.Y. 2013-2014 | 2
nd
Semester
Overview on ASEAN
Established in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is
composed of 10 member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
It formally came to being in 2007, with the adoption of the ASEAN Charter
at the 13thASEAN Summit held in Singapore. Prior to that, in 2003, members
agreed to pursue deeper and broader cooperation through community
building with the adoption of the Declaration of ASEAN Concord, also known as
Bali Concord II, at the 9
th
ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia. The concord envisions
the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2020 with three pillars: ASEAN
Economic Community, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community and ASEAN Political-
Security Community.
Meeting in Cebu in 2007, the members decided to accelerate community
building by moving inception from 2020 to 2015. To fast track the integration,
members adopted blueprints containing action areas and goalsthe ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint in 2007, and the ASEAN Political-Security
Community Blueprint and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint in 2009.
These blueprints were consolidated into the Roadmap for ASEAN Community.


The 1995 AFAS
The ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) is an Agreement
signed at Bangkok, Thailand on 15 December 1995 by the members of
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ASEAN Economic Ministers
(AEM) signed the AFAS, recognizing the growing importance of services to the
economy and the need to enhance and strengthen trade in services within
ASEAN.
AFAS Objectives:
Enhance cooperation in services amongst Member States in order
to improve the efficiency and competitiveness, diversify production
capacity, and supply and distribution of services of their service
suppliers within and outside ASEAN.
Eliminate substantially restrictions to trade in services amongst
Member States.
Liberalise trade in services by expanding the depth and scope of
liberalisation beyond those undertaken by Member States under
the GATS with the aim to realising a free trade area in services.
AFAS provides the enabling legal framework for setting out the broad
parameters that enables Member States to progressively improve market access
and provide national treatment to services suppliers of ASEAN Member States.


ASEAN MRA (Mutual Recognition Arrangement): result of AFAS AEC Blueprint
AFAS is based closely on the provisions of the General Agreement on
Trade in Services (GATS), which was concluded under the Uruguay Round of
multilateral trade negotiations in 1994. The GATS is a recent phenomenon being
the first multilateral arrangement on cross-border trade in services, although
services have had a vital role in global trade for many years. Integration in trade
in services is one of the important elements in building the ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC), as envisaged by the ASEAN Heads of States/Governments in
the Declaration of Bali Concord II.
In November 2007, ASEAN economic integration was taken one step
further when Heads of State/Government at the 2007 13
th
ASEAN Summit in
Singapore, adopted the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint, which
has the aim of transforming ASEAN into a single market and production base, a
highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic
development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy.
MRA-relevant targets of the AEC Blueprint:
Complete mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) currently under
negotiation, i.e. architectural services, accountancy services, surveying
qualifications, medical practitioners by 2008, and dental practitioners by
2009;
Implement the MRAs expeditiously according to the provisions of each
respective MRA;
Identify and develop MRAs for other professional services by 2012, to be
completed by 2015; and


MRA on Architectural Services
In furtherance of the AFAS, the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement
(MRA) on Architectural Services was signed on 19 November 2007 by official
representatives of the ASEAN Member States.
Thereafter, the ASEAN Architects Council (AAC) was organized, with each
ASEAN Member State tasked to organize their respective Monitoring
Committees (MCs) to work with their respective Professional Regulatory Authority
(PRA, if applicable). As of 2013, the PH is still organizing its MC to subsequently
qualify candidate - registered and licensed Architects (RLAs) for the status of
ASEAN Architect (AA), who shall be permitted to undertake architectural
services on an initially collaborative basis with the Architect-nationals of the
other ASEAN Member States the PH AA may wish to work in.
The PH Monitoring Committee (MC):
The PH MC will be composed of five (5) members: one (1) Commissioner
of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), two (2) from the Professional
Regulatory Board of Architecture (PRBoA, to be called the PRB for Architecture),
one (1) Commissioner from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and
the National President of the integrated and accredited professional
organization of architects (IAPOA).
While year 2015 has been set as the date for the rollout of the ASEAN
Architect program (where collaboration with Architect-nationals of Member
States is the accepted mode of cross-border architectural practice), the year
2020 is also set as the year for the attainment of full liberalization in the trade in
architectural services to meet the WTO GATS target rollout date.