The School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG) hosted the second Benilde Model ASEAN Meeting (BMAM) focusing on ASEAN’s digital transformation and innovation on June 26 to 27 at The Atrium @ Benilde Campus.
BMAM is one of SDG’s annual initiatives that promotes youth engagement in ASEAN affairs. As a simulation of the ASEAN Summit, it allows students to take on the roles of Southeast Asian diplomats and policymakers. This year highlights the launch of the BMAM Scholarship, waiving the registration fee for scholars from the St. Patrick School of Quezon City.
Benilde took the lead in organizing the summit and inviting delegates from universities and high schools across the Philippines, including Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU)–Laoag, University of Santo Tomas (UST), Saint Patrick School (SPS) of Quezon City, De La Salle University–Dasmariñas High School (DLSU-D), La Salle Green Hills (LSGH), University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS), Far Eastern University (FEU)–Manila, and San Beda University (SBU)–Manila.
Similar to the ASEAN Summit, a student delegate acts as the rotating chair of BMAM, facilitating discussions and decision-making. At the end of each summit, the delegates release joint statements or declarations outlining their shared goals and agreements. One of ASEAN’s defining principles is consensus-based decision-making, meaning all member states must agree before a policy can move forward. While this ensures unity, it also makes negotiations more complex.
Each member state is represented by three delegates: the Head of Government, a Minister, and a Senior Official. It is concerned with issues regarding the bloc’s progress in terms of the three pillars: ASEAN Political Security Council (APSC), ASEAN Economic Council (AEC), and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Council.
Sofia Agudo, ID123 Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and International Affairs (AB-DIA) student and the Secretary General of the second BMAM organizing committee, highlighted their success in inviting two ASEAN ambassadors as guests of honor, Ambassador of Cambodia to the Philippines, H.E. Sin Saream and Ambassador of Indonesia to the Philippines, H.E. Agus Widjojo.
Additionally, key speakers Dir. Marie Sherylyn Aquia, Director of the Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR) and Philippine Senior Economic Official to ASEAN under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Mr. Giovani Gil Abaquin, Head of Enterprise Strategic Development and Innovations at PLDT Enterprise, were present with credible insights in connection to the agenda topics for the summit.
In the Political-Security pillar, delegates reached a strong consensus against the malicious use of AI, calling for ethical governance through national policies and ASEAN-wide frameworks that promote transparency, traceability, and digital sovereignty. Proposals included an ASEAN Cybersecurity Taxonomy, anti-deepfake legislation, and public-private capacity-building.
For the Economic pillar, discussions focused on e-commerce growth, reaffirming the 2019 ASEAN Agreement and addressing cybersecurity threats. Delegates pushed for support of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), a Digital Trust Label, rural infrastructure, digital literacy, and cross-border payment systems.
Lastly, the Socio-Cultural pillar emphasized sustainable tourism through digital innovation. Proposals included an ASEAN Regional Heritage Sites Criterion, an interactive tourism website, AI-powered tourism management, and expanding access to smart technologies and high-speed internet for inclusive tourism across local communities.
In an interview with The Benildean, Cambodia delegate Diego Paulo Martinez from UST reflected on his surprise win. “Honestly, I was not expecting that at all. I mean, I did know that I tried to do my hardest, even though I actually only had 12 hours to prepare for this when I was notified… It was such a fruitful experience for me and I had so much fun.”
Meanwhile, the Malaysian delegation—Lorenzo Manuel C. Egenias and Federico Andrei L. Pena from Benilde SHS, and Dereck Jude M. Lorenzo from UST—recounted the challenge of chairing council meetings while serving as delegates. Egenias recalled learning about his chairmanship just five days before the event.
Lorenzo, who participated in BMAM 2024, said he was surprised to be assigned to the Malaysian delegation and found the experience of co-chairing BMAM 2025 both overwhelming and rewarding. Pena then added, “It was really hard for me to try to balance my role as a delegate and as a chair at the same time… It was a really new experience for me.”
Looking forward, faculty adviser Mr. Raphael Cortez shared that the next iteration of BMAM is expected to be reflective of the changes that will happen, with the Philippines set to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in the 2026 summit.
He also explained that, “The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation will be a game changer given that hindi naman siya palaging na re-revise, so this revision is relevant and these will be reflected in how the next BMAM will be carried out.”