On Aug. 8, 1967, the Philippines became a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Narciso R. Ramos, who was the country’s foreign minister then, together with his counterparts (the other founding fathers of ASEAN) Adam Malik of Indonesia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, Thanat Khoman of Thailand, and Malaysia’s former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, signed a five-article document that established what is now ASEAN.

It was established at a time when alliances were vital, especially when viewed from the lens of the then-ongoing Cold War. Southeast Asian nations were, after all, reeling from the lingering effects of their respective colonial histories—even Thailand, which was never colonized per se but was also influenced by western powers.

Fifty-nine years later, the Philippines remains one of the most active member-states of ASEAN, for which it currently holds chairship.

But what has ASEAN done for the Philippines? What does being part of ASEAN mean for Filipinos?

When I was younger, I remember having been made to memorize the names of the leaders of every ASEAN member state. This was part of our HEKASI classes back then. Yes, remember those? Before “Araling Panlipunan” or Social Studies became the default in elementary school curriculum, there was HEKASI, an acronym for Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, and Sibika (geography, history, and civics).

Interestingly, our newspaper at home was the Manila Bulletin, which my father especially loved during Sundays because of how thick it was and for its Classified Ads which he needed to look for work at that time, after having come back from abroad. What helped me memorize the names of every president/prime minister in ASEAN was an issue of the Philippine Panorama, which was the Manila Bulletin’s Sunday magazine, from July 1999.

This experience, I dare say, is not unique to myself. I am sure many others had to memorize the names of the countries part of ASEAN and their respective leaders.

Surely, this is not the only thing ASEAN has done for the Philippines, right?

Yes, there is more, like the Metro Manila traffic congestion in 2017, when the Philippines hosted the ASEAN summit. That one was really bad. I remember being stuck in C5 for around four to five hours. All for the greater good, right?

Seriously, though, what everyday Filipinos might not necessarily “feel” is how the Philippines has benefitted from being part of ASEAN through regional economic and trade agreements, and wider reach for its export goods, which include electronics, coconuts, and other mineral products. According to official reports, the estimated total trade between the Philippines and ASEAN member-states is valued at US$3.4 billion. How this figure is divided between what was exported and what was imported, however, is a different matter.

Apart from this, what is perhaps more apparent is the growth of tourism. It is partly because of ASEAN that Southeast Asian countries have opted to not require visas for Filipino tourists. This works both ways, as Southeast Asian tourists have also been coming to the Philippines, although the 2025 numbers are lagging behind compared to those coming from the US and South Korea. But yes, it is partly because of ASEAN that many Filipinos are able to post “fit checks” on Da Nang, or their “wet looks” from Songkran, or even watch a Formula 1 grand prix in Singapore.

Beyond tourism, there is also the matter of regional security interests. I will not delve deeper into this, as prevailing issues make it obvious that there are particular spheres of influence that shape ASEAN. Responding to these challenges as a region helps ensure that the interests of every member-state are not made secondary to the whims of much larger, more powerful countries.

Being part of ASEAN is a reminder that in a post-globalized world no country can exist on its own (even the supposedly isolationist North Korea relies on other countries now). Sure, there has been “backlash” from globalization, with many Southeast Asian nations choosing to look inward and strengthen their cultural foundations after having been heavily influenced by western pop culture. Nevertheless, the need to establish mutually-beneficial relationships remains.

No man, as they say, is an island. And no country, even an archipelago or island nation like the Philippines, can survive today’s global challenges by isolating itself from its closest neighbors. And this is especially true for a region like Southeast Asia, which sits at the crossroads of global trade and occupies a dynamic frontier in the ever-developing political landscape of its neighbors.

For many Filipinos, ASEAN may still be something we first encountered as a list of countries and presidents we had to memorize in HEKASI.

But 59 years after its founding, perhaps it is worth remembering that ASEAN is more than that list. It is the region in which we live, trade, travel, work, compete, and, increasingly, confront the same challenges.

And whether we notice it or not, that matters.