ASSESSING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNIVERSITY-BELT STUDENTS ON

THE ASEAN INTEGRATION 2015

BY

MARANAN, ROLAND D.
SULARTA, JOSEPHUS VINCENT

PROFESSOR CASTILLO

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the course Administrative and Office Management

Far Eastern University

Nicanor Reyes Street, Manila

January 10, 2015

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to determine and evaluate the familiarity of students, coming

from the University-Belt area, about the ASEAN Integration 2015, its challenges and

opportunities, which will deeply affect the Philippines. There is no doubt that

preparations are being made, for instance, the Academic Calendar shifts that

changes the opening classes. But do students really know about this Integration as

it inches closer to reality?

 CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

1.1 INTRODUCTION

(Gawa ka ng ibang introduction jayvee. )

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

ASEAN was existing before by an organization called the Association of

Southeast Asia (ASA), a group consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and

Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was inaugurated on 8

August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the

Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand met at the Thai Department of Foreign

Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly

known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers Adam Malik of

Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S.

Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand are considered the

organizations Founding Fathers.

The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members governing elite

could concentrate on nation building, the common fear of communism, reduced

faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, and a desire for economic

development. The block grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member

on 8 January 1984.

Papua New Guinea was accorded Observer status in 1976 and Special Observer

status in 1981. Papua New Guinea is a Melanesian state. ASEAN embarked on a

programme of economic cooperation following the Bali Summit of 1976. This

floundered in the mid-1980s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thai

proposal for a regional free trade area.

1.3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Narrowing the Development Gap (NDG) is ASEANs framework for addressing

various forms of disparities among and within Member States where pockets of

underdevelopment exist. Under NDG, ASEAN has continued coordinating closely

with other sub regional cooperation frameworks in the region (e.g., BIMP-EAGA,

IMT-GT, GMS, Mekong programmes), viewing them as equal partners in the

development of regional production and distribution networks in the AEC, and as

a platform to mainstream social development issues in developing and

implementing projects, in the context of the ASCC.

The IAI aims to provide support to Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam

(CLMV), ASEANs newer and lesser developed member states. The IAI was

launched in 2000 by ASEAN Heads of States to contribute to the objectives of

Narrowing the Development Gap and accelerating integration of CLMV as the

newer members of ASEAN. By augmenting the capacity of CLMV to implement

regional agreements, the IAI hopes to accelerate the regional integration process

as a whole.

The six-year IAI Work Plans have been developed to assist the CLMV countries

as well as ASEAN's other sub-regions to ensure that the economic wheels of their
economies move at an accelerated pace. IAI Work Plan I was implemented from

2002 to 2008, prior to the development of the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community

(2009-2015). IAI Work Plan II (2009-2015) supports the goals of the ASEAN

Community and is comprised of 182 prescribed actions, which includes studies,

training programmes and policy implementation support conducted through

projects supported by ASEAN-6 countries, and ASEANs Dialogue partners and

external parties. The IAI Work Plan is patterned after and supports the key

programme areas in the three ASEAN Community Blueprints: ASEAN Political-

Security Community Blueprint, ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint and

ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint.

The IAI Task Force, comprised of representatives of the Committee of Permanent

Representatives and its working group from all ten ASEAN member states, is in

charge of providing general advice and policy guidelines and directions in the

design and implementation of the IAI Work Plan. All 10 ASEAN Member States

are represented in the IAI Task Force, with the Task Force chaired by

representatives of the four CLMV countries. Chairmanship is rotated annually in

alphabetical order. The chair for 2014 is Cambodia.

The ASEAN Secretariat, in particular through the IAI and NDG Division, supports

the implementation and management of the IAI Work Plan and coordinates

activities related to sub-regional frameworks. This includes servicing meetings,

assisting in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of projects,

resource mobilization and overall operational coordination among various

IAI&NDG-related stakeholders. The Division works closely with the Dialogue

Partners and international agencies to develop strategies and programmes to

assist in promoting and implementing IAI and NDG activities in ASEAN.

(http://www.asean.org/)

1.4 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

(Jv, itry mo naman gawin to.PLS )

1.5 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study aims to answer the following questions.

1) What do University-belt students know about ASEAN Integration?

2) What are the different opportunities that will help individuals as well as their

respective countries?

3) What are the different challenges that will arise when ASEAN Integration takes

place?

4) Are there any organizations within the school that imparts information about the

ASEAN Integration 2015?

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will focus on the awareness of students, only coming from the

University-Belt area, with respect to the ASEAN Integration 2015. The study will

also focus on the different opportunities, challenges, effects and the preparations

for the upcoming integration.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

As the integration inches closer, it is significant to know if we are ready for it. It is

relevant that we know if the youth, the hope of our every country, recognizes or is

aware about this important happening, for it will greatly affect the Philippines. With

knowledge of such fact, preparations and plans can be carried out, opportunities

can be grab, and challenges can be met and hindrances can be eliminated.

1. 8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1) ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) - an organization of

countries in south-east Asia set up to promote cultural, economic and

political development in the region.

2) Integration first use during 1620. Incorporation as equals into society or

an organization of individuals of different groups (as races).

3) (Dagdagan pa natin ito)

 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

For further understanding of the study, the researchers made use of web articles

as reading materials which is essential in broadening the knowledge of the

researchers. This will also guide the researchers to achieve their objectives by

getting ideas on other related studies and make improvements as much as

possible.

The information gathered by the researchers focuses on the ASEAN Integration

2015, its opportunities, challenges, and changes that are being implemented for

its preparation.

Review of Related Literature

This review consists of articles that focus on the same subject matter or other

concepts of the study.

2.1 a FOREIGN

The birth of ASEAN was motivated by the passion to drive economic, social and

cultural progress on the foundation of solid regional peace. As the ASEAN 2015

fast approaches, economic integration is fashioned by a new concept of co-

opetition, blending regional cooperation and competition among member states;

and in the 1996 Philippine hosting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation,

education is one of the areas emphasized in eco-tech cooperation to pursue the

ASEAN dream of a prosperous community where equitable growth is an avowed

goal.

Reaching regional harmonization in education is not very distant given the current

significant developments. Traditionally, the domain of knowledge and education

are within the four corners of the classroom. But in this stage of time, the increasing

international student mobility, deepening research cooperation and networks are

blurring territorial boundaries in learning and scholarship. These trends present

opportunities and tools that accelerate regional harmonization in Southeast Asia.

However, on a broader picture of diversity, some challenges must be addressed

in order to fully realize the benefits of an integrated region. Some of these include

standardization of quality, institutional diversity, quality assurance systems,

research funding, disparities in national migration policies and war for skills. A

more careful scrutiny would reveal significant lapses of the Philippines in human

resource as reflected in poor competitive rankings and scores in recent global

surveys. (MACARANAS, 2014)

2.1 b LOCAL

ASEAN Integration 2015 has affected the Philippines greatly as it inches closer.

Academic Calendar shifts that changes the opening classes from June to August.

Nearly a year ago, US President Barack Obama launched in Manila his signature

programthe Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), which

encourages more young people from the ten member countries of the Association

of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be part of a grand network of young

innovators with brilliant ideas.

The hype about the imminent ASEAN integration has intensified, with YSEALI-

sponsored youth events held recently in Manila: BloggedIn ASEAN, which brought

over 100 bloggers from Metro Manila and all over Southeast Asia to express their

thoughts on the integration online; and the ASEAN Youth Dialogues, which already

had previous sessions in Ateneo de Manila University, Davao and Kuala Lumpur

over last few months. Experts from their respective fields of endeavor spoke on

how the integration could affect the associations ten member states in different

aspects. The youth who participated in these programs also aired their thoughts

about next years integration in the region, be it through blogging or at the open

forum.

(CABRISTANTE, 2014)

Review of Related Studies

This section consists of information gathered from thesis and dissertations

which are also relevant to the research.

2.2 a FOREIGN

As a member of ASEAN, Myanmar has a mandate to implement a number of policy

reforms, as agreed to in the AEC Blueprint. Key reforms include trade liberalization

and facilitation in accordance with the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement

(ATIGA), investment liberalization and facilitation as set forth under the ASEAN

Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA), services liberalization to comply

with the terms of ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS),

infrastructure development in support of projects such as the ASEAN Highway

Network (AHN) and Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL), and so on. At the same

time, since the inauguration of the Thein Sein administration in March 2011,

Myanmar has been transforming itself to a democratic country with more liberal

economic policies including the elimination of dual exchange rates and the

introduction of the new foreign investment law. Both of these regional and domestic

efforts are critical for Myanmar to seize the moment to capture the benefits of being

a fully-integrated member of a regional and global economic community. (SO

UMEZAKI)

Synthesis

Based on the information gathered by the researchers, in the Philippines alone,

we are continuing to battle widespread apathy among Filipino youth. We still have

a long way to go to raise awareness among our peers about what this huge

regional move has to offer to us, who belong to the largest age bracket group in

Southeast Asia. Fortunately, BloggedIn ASEAN and the ASEAN Youth Dialogues

are small but significant steps to save the Filipino youth from the ignorance that

they consider bliss.

 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides information on the research methods of this study. A

descriptive research methodology was used for this study. An online survey was

administered to evaluate the knowledge of college students around the University-

Belt area on the upcoming ASEAN Integration 2015. A survey is defined as an

activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order

to gather information about what most people do or think about something.

(Merriam-Websters online dictionary, n.d.)

3.1 POPULATION AND SAMPLE OF THE STUDY

This research is based on random sampling, which is used to select randomly,

samples from different strata of the population. The potential respondents will be

contact by the researchers through text messaging and online social media sites.

The process will continue until the researchers has 25 respondents willing to

participate in this research. A short message will be sent to each respondent

explaining the purpose of the study together with the link of the online survey

created using Google forms.

The samples are selected on the basis of connection, knowledge, and personal

judgment of the researchers. It is through the researchers existing personal

relationships with the respondents to ensure the participation and completion of

the online survey.

3.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE RESPONDENTS

The general sample was composed of 25 participants, both male and female. Most

of the respondents are college juniors and seniors, regardless of their age,

belonging to business, art and science courses studying at areas where there is a

high concentration or a cluster of colleges and universities in Manila, known as

University Belt. U-Belt is commonly understood as the one located, mainly, in San

Miguel district. But technically it also includes nearby Sampaloc, Quiapo, and

Santa Cruz. Generally, it includes the western end of Espaa Boulevard, Nicanor

Reyes St. (formerly Morayta St.), the eastern end of Claro M. Recto Avenue

(formerly Azcarraga), Legarda Street, Mendiola Street, and the different side

streets. Each of the colleges and universities found here are at a short walking

distance of each other.

Schools of the respondents included in the study:

Centro Escolar University

Far Eastern University

National University (Philippines)

 Polytechnic University of the Philippines

San Beda College

University of the East

University of Manila

University of Santo Tomas

3.3 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The method of online survey is used in this study. This has been used for the

convenience of both the researchers and the respondents for an adequate result.

An online survey is the systematic gathering of data from the target audience

characterized by the invitation of the respondents and the completion of the

questionnaire over the World Wide Web. One of the advantages of a web-based

survey is that it involves minimal costs. It facilitates low-cost and fast data

collection from the target population. Online survey also provides the highest level

of convenience for the respondents because they can answer the questionnaire

according to their own pace, chosen time, and preferences. However, this method

is not applicable for surveys that require respondents who do not have an access

to the Internet. Some examples of these respondents include the elderly and

people who reside in remote areas.

3.4 Data-Gathering Procedure

The data for this research were collected using an online survey questionnaire.

The survey was created using suitable questions modified from related research

and individual questions formed by the researcher. The survey was comprised of
20 questions. The results of the survey were collected from January 26, 2014 to

February 6, 2014. The data is recorded and updated simultaneously as responses

are received. The results are organized by Google spreadsheet with graphs and

tables describing the total feedback of each respondent. There were no incentives

offered for participating in the research.

3.5 STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA

In getting the sample size, the researchers used the Slovins formula which is, n=

, N stands an estimate population of the students belonging to colleges and

universities selected by the researchers, mentioned above, around University-Belt

area, while e, stands for the margin of error that the researchers can consider

tolerable. The researchers used .20 as the margin of error. The data collected were

tabulated and analyzed. Analyses of data were guided by mean and percentage.

Slovins formula:

n= sample size

where:

N = total population

e = margin of error

Solution:

N = estimation of 200,000 population of students within the selected colleges and

universities located at University-Belt, Manila.

e = 0.20%

n=___N___

1 + Ne2

n=25

ONLINE ARTICLE

Cabristante, R. (2014, Dec. 1). Lessons from YSEALI: Young people and the
coming
ASEAN integration. Retrieved December 24, 2014, from
Gmanetwork.com:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/390458/lifestyle/peopleandevents
/lessons-from-yseali-young-people-and-the-coming-asean-integration.

Macaranas, F. (2014, May 8). ASEAN 2015: CHALLENGES AND

OPPORTUNITIES
FOR EDUCATORS. Retrieved December 24, 2014, from Asean.aim.edu:
http://asean.aim.edu/research/presentations/asean-2015-challenges-and-
opportunities-for-educators/.
Sincero, S.M (2012, Oct. 16). Online Surveys. Retrieved Jan 02, 2015 from
Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/online-surveys

ONLINE DICTIONARY
survey. 2015. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved January 3, 2015, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survey

ONLINE PRESENTATION
Fischlers, A. (n.d.). Writing Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Methodology - Fischler School.
Retrieved January 1, 2015, from
https://www.google.com.ph/?gws_rd=ssl#q=chapter+3+methodology

http://www.entrepreneurship.org.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id
=448%3Aasean-integration-2015-and-what-it-means-to-your-business&Itemid=90
http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/malaysia-as-asean-chair-in-2015-what-to-expect/
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/asean.asp

(Jayvee, please paki apa stye naman itong references mo. )