Regional integration will also allow for better job opportunities and, therefore, better economic well-being for ASEAN citizens.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, I myself cannot contain my excitement for the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in the country from 30 November to 11 December. The Games are not just a great venue for Filipino athletes to showcase their sporting talent and spirit in front of the home crowd, they also represent a milestone for the country as it will be the fourth time that we will host the most prestigious sporting event in our region.

While we expect athletes from different parts of Southeast Asia to give it their all in battling it out for national pride and glory, the real essence of the SEA Games is to promote cooperation, understanding and relations among our countries. At the end of the day, the competition is not simply about winning. As the 2019 SEA Games motto goes, it is about our countries winning as one.

But this adage does not only apply to the Games. It also reflects the motivation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to foster closer regional integration among our countries, which will significantly boost mutual economic development amid the backdrop of the globalization age.

In fact, during the biannual ASEAN Summits, which President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is currently attending in Bangkok, Thailand from 31 October to 4 November, stressing the need for deeper economic integration among ASEAN countries has become one of its main, continuing agenda, aside from strengthened political and security and socio-cultural cooperation.

But why do we need closer economic integration with our neighbors? What does it mean for our country and how are we going to benefit from it?

Unbeknown to many Filipinos, there is so much to gain from ASEAN regional integration. One of its main economic benefits is the lowering of cost of living across ASEAN nations. The ASEAN Economic Community envisions the ASEAN as “a single market and production base characterized by free flow of goods, services, and investments, as well as free flow of capital and skills.” This means that once a single ASEAN market has been set up, it will lower the cost of exporting goods and services to all ASEAN nations, thereby lowering cost of such products and increasing the purchasing power of ASEAN citizens.

Regional integration will also allow for better job opportunities and, therefore, better economic well-being for ASEAN citizens. This is due to the virtually borderless employment environment and increased foreign investments fostered by a single ASEAN market. A window of economic opportunities will also be opened for Filipino job seekers and investors alike once economic integration is in full swing.

Indeed, with regional integration, we win as one!

But such close cooperation does not come without challenges as well. With the relaxing of our economic borders and leveling of the playing field in our neighborhood, we must ensure that the Philippines and Filipinos remain competitive in order to succeed in such an enterprising and go-getter environment.

As your voice in the Senate, I have undertaken initial steps to address this. I have filed bills to ensure that we maintain our significant competitive edge.

To improve our education quality and hone globally competitive citizens, I have also filed a measure enhancing the quality of Philippine nursing education; and a bill expanding the application of the Special Education Fund so that it may be used for the operation and maintenance of public schools, construction and repair of school buildings and libraries, facilities and equipment.

To promote the welfare of our new heroes, the overseas Filipino workers, I have also filed a measure that establishes a single executive department for OFW affairs. This will put certain government agencies dealing with the OFW concerns under one umbrella, addressing certain issues, such as the lack of coordination among offices.

While we still have a long road ahead towards full ASEAN economic integration, there is no better time to prepare for its imminent arrival but now. As your Kuya Bong Go, I promise to be with my fellow Filipinos every step of the way, ensuring that their rights and welfare are held in the highest esteem. This is the duty that I swore to uphold in my every waking day as their senator.