National Artist for Literature and NCCA Chairman Virgilio S. Almario and NCCA Commissioner and National Museum Director Jeremy M. Barns joined the other Philippine Representatives to the SEAMEO Centers’ Governing Board for a meeting last August 17, 2018 at the SEAMEO INNOTECH, Diliman, Quezon City.

The meeting was presided by Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor M. Briones who is a member of the SEAMEO Council. Secretary Briones was joined by SEAMEO Secretariat Deputy Director for Program and Development Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela, SEAMEO INNOTECH Center Director Ramon Bacani, and the 21 Philippine Representatives to the SEAMEO Centers’ Governing Board. Chairman Almario is a Governing Board member of SEAMEO Center for History and Tradition (CHAT) in Yangon, Myanmar while Director Barns is a Governing Board member of SEAMEO Regional Center for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting served as a venue to introduce the Philippine Governing Board Members to each other and to the DepEd Executive Committee, orient them on the mandate of the different SEAMEO Centers and the 7 SEAMEO Priority Areas, briefly report on the accomplishments of each center, and to propose plans on how each Center can help the Department and vice versa.

SEAMEO or the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization is a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1965 among governments of Southeast Asian countries to promote regional cooperation in education, science, and culture in the region. It has 24 specialist institutions that undertake training and research programs in various fields of education, science, and culture. Each Regional Center has a Governing Board composed of senior education officials from each SEAMEO Member Country. The Governing Board reviews the Centers’ operations and budget and sets their policies and programs.

Chairman Almario is set to attend the 17th Governing Board Meeting of SEAMEO CHAT on September 6-7, 2018 in Yangon, Myanmar.