Manila, Philippines – This month of August, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Professional Regulatory Boards (PRBs) express its paramount support and participation towards the activities in celebration of the ASEAN Month 2021.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on the 8th of August, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, through the signing of the Bangkok Declaration, wherein the Philippines was one of the founding pillars, alongside with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. From the five original member states, the ASEAN has now grown into a ten-member state, comprising of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
Since then, the ASEAN Member States (AMS) developed the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS), which was signed by the ASEAN Economic Ministers on December 15, 1995. And as a testament to the commitment to strengthen services trade integration, the AMS mandated the start of negotiations on Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to facilitate the flow of professional services under AFAS, which resulted to establishment of ASEAN MRAs on Engineering Services, Nursing Services, Architectural Services, Mutual Recognition of Surveying Qualification, Dental Practitioners, Medical Practitioners, Tourism Professionals, and Accountancy Services.
This month, as the ASEAN celebrates its 54th Anniversary, the PRC reaffirms its active participation on the ASEAN’s roadmap for future endeavors, and pledges for continuous commitment in strengthening professional capabilities by promoting the flow of relevant information and exchange of expertise, experience and best practices suited to the specific needs of the ASEAN Member Countries, and beyond.
Further, the annual celebration of the ASEAN Month and ASEAN Week in the Philippines, promulgated under Proclamation No. 1008, s. 1997, encourages all government agencies, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), to initiate and implement programs and activities to help generate awareness and public support in promoting the observance of ASEAN Month.
