SUN.STAR Media Group in partnership with professional services firm SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.) will hold an Economic Forum on the 2015 Asean Economic Community (AEC) on Feb. 19 at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. The forum will look into opportunities and challenges the AEC will bring to the Philippines at a macro and micro-level perspective. "With the AEC, we are blurring the national borders. Of course, with this, there will be obstacles and we will discuss this in the forum,” said Sun.Star economic forum lead Caesar Atienza.’` AEC is the goal of the regional economic integration of the 10 country-members by 2015, which will pave the way for a free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor and a freer flow of capital. It sees "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.” Atienza said the forum will discuss how the different industries can map out an effective strategy so that they can take advantage of the AEC. Keynote speaker will be Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo. Other speakers include Dr. Cielito F. Habito, chief of party of the USAID Trade-Related Assistance for Development and the former secretary for economic planning; Ceferino S. Rodolfo, DTI-International Trade Group assistant secretary; and Dr. Josef T. Yap, former president of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies among others.
