The University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P) and the Embassy of Chile in the Philippines held an academic seminar on September 30 at Dizon Auditorium. Titled Beyond Borders: Connecting ASEAN & Latin-America Regionalism and Diplomacy in 2026, the half-day event brought together six ambassadors, students, faculty, and guests. It was timed to the Philippines’ 2026 chairmanship of ASEAN and to the 80th anniversary of Philippines-Chile diplomatic relations (1946–2026).
A renewed partnership
The seminar grew out of a courtesy call by H.E. Felipe Díaz, Ambassador of Chile, on UA&P President Atty. Philip Yeung, in which he expressed interest in renewing the university’s institutional ties with the Embassy. The Embassy later proposed a seminar on regionalism in Asia and the Americas, particularly South America, in the context of the Philippines’ ASEAN Presidency. On April 7, Ambassador Díaz and Diplomatic Officer Mr. Pedro Pizarro met UA&P representatives to settle the concept of a joint academic seminar.
Ambassador Díaz opened the program, and Atty. Allesandra Fay Albarico, Dean of the School of Politics and Governance, welcomed the diplomatic corps on behalf of UA&P.
Lectures and ambassadorial presentations
Dr. Bernardo Villegas, UA&P co-founder, economist, and University Professor Emeritus, delivered the opening lecture.
The first block of presentations featured H.E. Ricardo Bocalandro, Ambassador of Argentina, and H.E. Daniel Hernández Joseph, Ambassador of Mexico. A question-and-answer session then followed. The second block heard from H.E. Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura of Brazil, H.E. Eduardo Young Virzi of Panama, and H.E. Carmen Azurín Araujo of Peru.
Dr. Benjamin N. Muego, Full Professor of International Relations and Diplomacy at Philippine Women’s University, gave the closing lecture. Ambassador Díaz then offered closing words before guests moved to a cocktail reception.
The discussions were organized around two themes. The first, international politics and regional governance, covered models such as ASEAN, the OAS, the Pacific Alliance, APEC, RCEP, CPTPP, and MERCOSUR, along with strategic competition, middle powers, and regional order in the Indo-Pacific. The second, economics, resilience, and digital transformation, covered regional trade agreements, supply chain resilience, open rules-based trade, and new avenues for Asia-Latin America commerce in the digital economy.
A call for closer collaboration
The seminar is the first stage of a longer initiative. At the close of the event, organizers released essay prompts drawn from the two tracks. Philippine undergraduate and graduate students may submit essays of up to 1,000 words in English until October 28. Selected authors will then present 10-minute papers to a panel of diplomats and academics at UA&P at a date to be announced. The top essays will be edited and published in a commemorative volume under the ASEAN Presidency 2026 banner, expected after October–November 2026.
The event was organized by UA&P’s Marketing and Corporate Experience office in partnership with the Embassy of Chile.