After its existence for 50 years, Filipinos apparently are still not well aware of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the low coverage of the media on Asean matters is partly to be blamed for this, a study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies showed.
The study titled “What does Asean mean to Asean peoples?,” commissioned by the Jakarta-based Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia was done in 2016 through online and paper-based survey. The study involved 289 respondents from three cities in the country, namely Butuan, Cebu, and Quezon.
Most of the respondents came from the government, followed by those working in the academe, civil society and the business sector. Three focus group discussion (FGD) selected in the said cities were also included.
The study found out that Filipinos, in general, have moderate familiarity of the Asean with respondents from the academe as more aware than those from the government.
But both survey respondents and FGD participants said the coverage of the media on Asean matters is not enough.
“The survey respondents from the government felt most strongly about this followed by those from the business sector,” it said.
Dr. Erlinda Medalla, project director of the Philippine APEC Study Center Network and a senior research fellow of the PIDS noted some of the respondents admitted they are not aware of the role of the Asean Secretariat. (davaotoday.com)
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