As part of its efforts to support individuals who help promote peace, development and cultural understanding through research, the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation Inc. has set up the APPFI Carlos Chan Fellowship Program. The program has been named after Mr. Carlos Chan in recognition of his accomplishments and efforts in promoting greater intercultural understanding and cooperation in Philippines-China relations. Mr. Chan is former special envoy to China and one of the most successful Filipino entrepreneurs in the region, having established overseas operations in China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.
Nominees for the fellowship include experts who actively study, work and engage in issues relating to Philippine foreign policy, Philippine relations with neighboring states and major partners, and other relevant regional developments.
The APPFI Track Two Observer, on the other hand, is a database created to provide an online platform where fellows can share their insights and strategic analysis on relevant issues, arising from Track Two dialogues and exchanges they participate in.
Atty. Jay Batongbacal, Tina Clemente, Herman Kraft, and Chito Sta. Romana, are among the first selected fellows of the program.
Atty. Jay Batongbacal is the Director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. He holds a Master’s degree in Marine Management and a Doctorate in the Science of Law, both from Dalhousie University in Canada. His graduate degrees were acquired under scholarship grants from the Canadian International Development Agency and the prestigious Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation, respectively. In his areas of expertise, he has developed extensive networks and participated in conferences and fellowships that seek to apply knowledge of international law and politics to the search for solutions to the region’s maritime security, development and environmental problems.
Dr. Tina Clemente is an Associate Professor at UP Asian Center focused on China Studies. She handles several graduate courses including Social and Economic Development in China, Theories of Development, and Special Problems in Asian Studies, among others. She completed her Ph.D. in Economics from the School of Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman. Dr. Clemente’s research involves developing networks and research collaboration with scholars and institutions from across the region, and in the Philippines she has been frequently consulted by government research institutions on issues such as the nexus of economics and security.
Herman Kraft is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines teaching courses in International Relations and Comparative Politics. He has been involved in unofficial and informal dialogue mechanisms on security in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia Pacific region since 1993, and has published articles and book chapters on regional security and security issues involving the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
Chito Sta. Romana is a lecturer on China politics at the University of the Philippines Asian Center. He is a veteran Filipino journalist who has covered China as a broadcast journalist for ABC News (USA) from 1989 to 2010 and served as the ABC Beijing Bureau Chief. He has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in Massachusetts. He has given briefings to senior government and military officials, as well to academia, media, business, and non-government organizations about China’s foreign and domestic policies. He has also been actively involved in Track Two exchanges with Chinese scholars on issues in Philippines-China relations.