8/9/2019 Legal Challenges and Opportunities of Asean Economic
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The (o ntry $ong +nown as the
the & an! E ro%e towar!s Asia. In(i!enta$$y, the (o ntry
sits between the two mostim%ortant g$oba$ tra!e ro tes, the Asian
tra!e ro te an! the #a(i@( tra!e ro te)hen(e, we are strategi(a$$y
%ositione! to ta+e an im%ortant ro$e to !e@ne the wor$!e(onomy on o
r own terms. In $ine with this geo%o$iti(a$ (onsi!eration, it is
easy ton!erstan! the m (h to te! %ivot o' the & war ma(hine
towar!s the #a(i@(. & re$yit is a ($ear re(ognition by the
& o' the growing im%ortan(e o' Asia as the %rimemover o' g$oba$
e(onomy. "ith a$$ these !eve$o%ment going on, the estion thatnee!s
to be as+e! then isC are we rea!y to $ea! in an Asian-$e! g$oba$
e(onomyD
O r (ommer(ia$ $aws may nee! to be re-e/amine! in or!er to be
more att ne! tothe in(reasing im%a(t o' a shrin+ing g$oba$ (omm
nity where 'ree tra!e wi$$ be thenorm. Ta/ation $aws may nee! to
evo$ve in or!er to @n! new ways o' raisingreven e in *ero-tari:
s(enarios. #ro'essiona$s within the region wi$$ be 'ree to %$ytheir
tra!e in the (o ntry in same manner that o r (o ntrymen wi$$ a$so
be 'ree toe/er(ise their %ro'ession e$sewhere in the region. O r
$abo r $aws, (onse ent$ymay be ro(+e! to its (ore as a 'oreign
e$ement wi$$ be in0e(te! into the %i(t re. Inor!er to ta+e ' $$
a!vantage o' a$$ the e/(itement an! the (on i(ts that
theintegration wo $! inevitab$y bring, o r $ega$ %ra(titioners m st
be %re%are! toembra(e this 'orth(oming (hange. "e (o $! not a$$ow
$awyers 'rom the other A&EANnations to
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$e't with those !i9( $t an! high$y (ontentio s ones to the
!etriment o' theIntegrate! Bar.
P REPARATIONS AND VISIONS
I be$ieve we are i$$ %re%are! at this time to meet the s(enarios
!is( sse! above.1onse ent$y, we nee! to bra(e o rse$ves not 0 st to
remain re$evant b t moreim%ortant$y to be a strong !riving 'or(e o'
#hi$i%%ine e(onomi( an! %o$iti(a$$ea!ershi% within the A&EAN
an! the rest o' the g$obe. "e m st sei*e the initiativeat the
ear$iest o%%ort nity to (ash in on the !eve$o%ments wherever they
mayemerge sin(e the win!ow wi$$ not a$ways be there to wait %on s.
The sooner wema+e the ne(essary %re%arations the better o r
strategi( %ositions wo $! be.In(i!enta$$y, the #hi$i%%ines has been
tagge! as the (hea% Eng$ish tea(her owing tothe 'a(t that o r
niversities o:er west-sty$e Eng$ish e! (ation whi(h is a m
(h(hea%er a$ternative to that o' the & or Eng$an!. "e (o $!
%i(+ %on this a!vantageby estab$ishing (entres s (h as the Angara
1entre 'or Law an! E(onomi(s whi(h is
the @rst an! on$y #hi$i%%ine %o$i(y an! a(a!emi( thin+-tan+ 'eat
ring internationa$$aw an! e(onomi(s e/%erts. I be$ieve we (o $!
a:or! to have the se(on! one o' s (h a thin+-tan+ n!er the a s%i(es
o' the niversity o' the Visayas. The VLea!ershi% Instit te is an
evi!en(e that the niversity $ea!ershi% an! management(o $! be % to
the (ha$$enges o' the ' t re. & (h a (entre (o $! %re%are o r
$ega$%ra(titioners an! st !ents to the (ha$$enges that the
A&EAN integration an! theshrin+ing g$oba$ (omm nity wo $!
inevitab$y bring. This is where o r $ega$ e/%erts(o $! (arve o t a
new ni(he on this emerging @e$! o' $aw an! e(onomi(s that wo $!be a
vehi($e 'or them to ma+e a big name not on$y $o(a$$y b t a$so
internationa$$y.
The (reation o' s (h a (entre, I %ro%ose, is an abso$ te
ne(essity 'or two reasonsC
@rst, in or!er 'or s to %ro! (e g$oba$$y (om%etitive $awyers an!
e(onomists thatwi$$ be an integra$ %art o' the !riving 'or(e o' the
e(onomy that wi$$ %ro%e$ the(o ntry into the
