Finally, I already received copies (Executive Summary and the book in CD) of the Third ASEAN State of the Environment Report 2006 (ASOER 3) this month (May 2007) straight from the Environment Unit of the ASEAN Secretariat. I thought it was not going to be published anymore because I finished the initial drafts of its 12 chapters in March 2006. But I am going ahead of my story.
I was informed in April 2005 by the Environment Unit of the ASEAN Secretariat that they have considered me to write the draft of ASOER3. I was then attending the rehearsal for the graduation ceremonies of the university when I got the call. I was thrilled no end at the opportunity - not everybody is given the chance to write the state of environment of the region (Southeast Asia) which includes ten countries, namely: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam (I wrote the names of these countries in alphabetical order without thinking anymore after writing them many times during my stint at the Secretariat). I thought that the experience would help me broaden and deepen my experience on Environmental Governance, a field I am pioneering in my college.
Against the advice of colleagues at the university (I wouldn’t give details for everybody’s peace), off I went to Jakarta. The Secretariat provided me housing arrangement, etc. The staff were very friendly. However, once I got settled, the gravity of my task sunk to me.
I was told that the first two ASOERs were written and published under extremely difficult circumstances. I would not go into details but I was informed that the writers for the first ASOERs were not able to finish the drafts satisfactorily, i.e., incomplete or not good enough. Second, I learned that I am the only writer tasked to do the first drafts of the 12 chapters. The staff would only provide me the data and I have to do everything, i.e., writing, processing and analyzing data, constructing graphs, etc. I thought it was advantageous because I have complete control in writing ALL the chapters. However, as the deadline was approaching, I was assisted by an Indonesian staff, Ms. Endang Habsari. She helped me construct the graphs and encode texts.
I stayed in Jakarta for six months from May to November 2005. I was allowed to finish the remaining chapters in the Philippines because I had to start teaching again in my college in November. I am thankful to the Environment Unit for trusting me to finish the remaining chapters in the Philippines until February 2006.
Writing ASOER3 was extremely difficult but fulfilling for an academic like me. I had to stay late at night at the Secretariat sometimes up to 11 p.m. or work whole Saturday or half of Sunday to do my task. Luckily, my training as PhD student prepared me for the task. Back at the International Christian University in Tokyo, I had almost the same schedule (to write my voluminous dissertation). To keep myself from being bored, I regularly went to the gym and heard mass at a Catholic church in Jakarta every Sunday. It was also my 6-month stint in Jakarta that I learned that Indonesians and Filipinos are almost the same, culturally. In Jakarta, many Indonesians thought that I was one of them – in taxi, mall, gym, grocery, convenience store, bus, etc. I also made friends with lots of ASEAN Secretariat multi-cultural staff – Indonesians, Filipinos, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Cambodians, etc. I met high-ranking Filipino officials of the Secretariat like Deputy Secretary-General Wilfrido Villacorta. I was even invited to a Filipino gathering in his condo unit in Jakarta. My job also gave me the opportunity to attend an ASEAN meeting (the Task Force for the Preparation of ASOER3) in Penang, Malaysia where I had the chance to experience first hand mild haze (the topic of my dissertation) on air and on ground which flew all the way from Indonesia (must have followed me).
I enjoyed my stay in Jakarta tremendously while writing ASOER3. Wish I could write ASOER4 in 2008 or 2009.
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