PCDEB meet to focus on Asean integration

MANILA, Philippines -The Philippine Council of Deans and Educators in Business (PCDEB) “14th Annual Convention and 8th Business Education Industry Summit” scheduled at Hotel Jen (former Traders Royal Hotel) on Feb. 19-20 will focus on the Asean Integration that seeks to consolidate the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations into one Asean Economic Community (AEC) starting later this year.

PCDEB president Dr. Eduardo “E.G.” Ong, chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Real Estate Service and the recognized “Father of Philippine Real Estate and Business Education,” said this year’s summit with the theme “Global Alignment of Business Education towards Asean Economic Integration” is an occasion for Philippine business educators and other stakeholders to share best practices and support the preparations needed to stay ahead of their regional counterparts as the Philippines becomes part of the AEC.

The AEC, envisioned as a common market and production base, will have free flow of goods and services, skilled labor, capital and investments.  It is projected to have a gross domestic product of $3.2 trillion that can help boost the economies of its 10 member countries and benefit their combined population of over 600 million consumers.

PCDEB has urged its members to actively participate in their convention and exchange knowledge and insights on the opportunities and challenges the AEC offers and help enlighten Filipinos to help generate further and wider public support for the program.

“The AEC is a big development for us because of the borderless flow of goods, services and people in the Asean.  This means bigger market but also bigger competition for educators and the academic sector,” Dr. Ong stressed.

The two-day forum which will serve as an annual meeting of school officials, deans, business educators, and industry partners nationwide, will also be an avenue for the induction of new PCDEB members and the election of its new officers.

Dr. Ong, who topped the real estate consultancy examination and the real estate brokers examination administered by the Department of Trade and Industry, and a respected leader in Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will speak and discuss issues in the academe, the Philippine real-estate industry, the AEC and Asean, during the convention.

Other speakers will discuss related key issues in business education. The topics include: Preparing the Youth for Regional Leadership Towards Asean 2015, Increasing People Competitiveness for Asean Integration, and Ensuring Philippine Readiness for Asean 2015 Through Greater Regional Integration, among others.

PCDEB is a professional organization of deans, directors, administrators, and professors teaching business courses such as Business Administration, Accountancy, Marketing, Economics, Travel and Hotel Management, Entrepreneurship, Commerce, Management, and Office Administration in various colleges and universities nationwide.

Since its inception 12 years ago, the group has been organizing regional associations and sponsoring fora, seminars, and conventions nationwide for the professional growth of its members and business students. It also aims to bridge the gap between education and employment and help attain inclusive growth for the country. 

For inquiries, call the PCDEB secretariat at (632) 9419004, 9869954, 3533295; 09369765547, 09397868476, 09258816899, 09153920815; or email at [email protected] or visit www.pcdeb.org.