During the year under review, H.E. Dr Isidro D Carino, Philippines Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports, and President of the SEAMEO Council of Ministers, make various visits to the Member Countries, the Indochina countries, the SEAMEO Units as well as participated in a number of SEAMEO activities.
On 31 May 1991, the SEAMEC President took time out from a UNESCO Technical meeting at Cipanas, Bogor, to visit the SEAMEO TROPMED National Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta and SEAMEO BIOTROP in Bogor. At the TROPMED National Centre, the SEAMEC President met with the Centre staff and was given a briefing on the programmes and activities of the Centre by the assistant of the Director. The SEAMEC President met with the officials of the ASEAN Secretariat to discuss the proposed ASEAN Education subcommittee and possible cooperation between SEAMEO and ASEAN.
 | At SEAMEO BIOTROP the SEAMEC President was briefed on the Centre programmes and activities by the BIOTROP Director and was given a tour of the Centre facilities. He was accompanied by the incumbent SEAMES Director as the then Deputy Director of BIOTROP. |
| On 24 June 1991, the SEAMEC President delivered a keynote address at the Strategic Planning Workshop held concurrently with the Centre Directors Meeting in Pattaya, Thailand. |  |
| The SEAMEC President also participated in the plenary discussion of the first day of the workshop and gave valuable ideas and advice on possible initiatives to broaden the financial base of the SEAMEO Units. His Excellency actively participated in the discussion of issues facing the Organization and shared his thoughts with regard to some of them. | |
| The next day, accompanied by the Philippine Ambassador to Thailand and the SEAMEO Secretariat Deputy Director, the SEAMEC President visited the SEAMEO Secretariat and SEAMEO SPAFA in Bangkok. His Excellency was briefed on SPAFA's programmes and activities by the SPAFA Director. In the afternoon of the same day, the SEAMEC President visited SEAMEO TROPMED where he met with the staff and was briefed on TROPMED activities. The SEAMEC President took this opportunity to give a short talk to TROPMED scholars on the relevance of SEAMEO programmes to the needs of the region. | |
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| Accompanied by the SEAMES Deputy Director, Dr Padoongchart Suwanawongse , the SEAMEC President toured the SEAMEO Secretariat. | The SEAMEC President was briefed on the SEAMEO-France Project by Mr Herve Jeanjean, the French Project Manager. |
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| H.E. Dr Isidro D Carino received a momento of his visit to SEAMEO SPAFA from Professor M.C. Subhadradis Diskul, Director, SEAMEO SPAFA | The SEAMEC President visited the malaria exhibition of SEAMEO TROPMED where is Excellency was briefed by Ms Vimolsri Panichyanon, SEAMEO TROPMED Consultant. |
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| On 26 June 1991, His Excellency Dr Isidro Carino paid a courtesy call on his Excellency Dr Kaw Swasdi-Panich, Minister of Education, Thailand, and discussed SEAMEO matters as well as Vietnam's possible membership to SEAMEO. |
On 27 June, accompanied by the SEAMES Deputy Director, the SEAMEC President visited SEAMEO RECSAM in Penang, Malaysia. The SEAMEC President discussed with RECSAM staff, issues related to SEAMEO such as relevance of programme curricula and initiatives for broadening Centre resource base and toured the Centre premises. In the afternoon, the SEAMEC President visited the Science University of Malaysia and met with the faculty members. The SEAMEC President was met and accompanied by H.E. Dr Fong Chan Oun, Deputy Minister of Education, Malaysia, and Mr Nik Musa, the Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of Education, on his visits to RECSAM and the Science University. From Penang, the SEAMEC President flew to Singapore and in the morning of 28 June, had a meeting with the Chairman of ASEAN Committee on Social Development (COSD) on the subject of closer cooperation between SEAMEO and ASEAN. The SEAMEC President also paid a courtesy call on H.E. Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, Minister of Education, Singapore and discussed SEAMEO issues including he membership of Vietnam into SEAMEO. In the afternoon the SEAMEC President visited RELC and he was met by the Chairman of RELC Governing Board, Mr Wee Heng Tin. H.E. Dr Carino was introduced to the RELC staff and had a discussion with them on SEAMEO matters, after which his Excellency toured the RELC facilities. The SEAMEC President was accompanied throughout his visit in Singapore by the Philippines Ambassador, H.E. Mr Rancisco Benedicto. From 30 September to 3 October, H. E. Dr Carino visited Brunei Darussalam. The SEAMEC President held discussions with H.E. Pehin Dato Haji Abdul Aziz Umar on SEAMEO matters, in particular with regard to the development of SEAMEO VOCTECH. The SEAMEC President also discussed the issue of Viet Nam's application to join SEAMEO. On the same day, the SEAMEC President visited the University of Brunei Darussalam and met with the faculty members as well as toured the campus. On 1 October, H.E. Dr Carino delivered the keynote address at the Joint Opening Ceremony of the SEAMEO VOCTECH and SEAMEO BIOTROP Governing Board Meetings. The SEAMEC President also attended the Governing Board Meetings of both Centres until 2 October, during which his Excellency contributed valuable ideas and comments on the respective Centres' programmes and activities in the light of the strategic directions of the Organization. Upon the invitation of the Governments of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (SRVN) and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), his Excellency Dr Isidro D Carino visited Hanoi and Vientiane from 5 to 8 October and 8 to 10 October 1991, respectively. On 7 October, the SEAMEC President, accompanied by the SEAMES Director and the Information Officer of SEAMES, met with Vietnamese high officials of the Ministry of Education and Training, headed by H.E. Professor Dr Sc Pham Minh Hac, First Vice Minister of Education and Training, SRVN. His Excellency Dr Carino was briefed by H.E. Professor Dr Sc Hac on the Ministry's operations and problems, and in turn, the SEAMEC President and the SEAMES Director informed the high officials of the Ministry about the programmes and activities of SEAMEO. It was also at this meeting that H.E. Professor Dr Sc Hac First discussed with H.E. Dr Carino about the possibility of the SRVN applying to the Council, through the SEAMEC President, to become a Member State of SEAMEO. In the afternoon of the same day, the SEAMEC President escorted by Professor Dr Bui Thien Du, Director, International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training, SRVN, visited the University of Technology of Hanoi, and the Hanoi College of Medicine. H.E. Dr Carino was briefed by the university and college officials on their respective activities, after which they escorted the SEAMEC President on a tour of their facilities. they in return were briefed on SEAMEO Centre activities especially the programmes of VOCTECH, TROPMED and RELC. On 8 October, the SEAMEC President paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr Jurgen Elias, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the SRVN, and discussed with his Excellency Mr Elias, SEAMEO Maters in General, and in particular, the SRVN's wish to become a SEAMEO Member State, as well as the possibility of Germany giving assistance to Viet Nam through SEAMEO. After the call on H.E. Mr Elias, the SEAMEC President visited the Education Publishing House of the Ministry of education and Training, SRVN, and was briefed on the textbook publishing operations by the House's officials. Before the SEAMEC President's departure from Hanoi for Vientiane in the afternoon of 8 October, H.E. Professor Tran Hong Quan, Minister of Education and Training, presented the SEAMEC President a letter in which the SRVN officially applies to become a Member State of SEAMEO. On 9 October, his Excellency Mr Samane Vignaket, Minister of Education and Sports, Lao PDR, met with the SEAMEC President and discussed SEAMEO in general, and specifically, the feasibility of the Government of the Lao PDR reactivating its SEAMEO membership. After his meeting with his Lao counterpart, the SEAMEC President, accompanied by Mr Heng Daovannary, Deputy Director, Foreign Relations Department, Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR, visited educational institutions, from primary to higher education levels, in the Laotian capital city. In the afternoon of the same day, H.E. Dr Carino, accompanied by his Excellency Mr Khamtanh and Mr Heng, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr Khamphoui Keoboua Lapha, Vice Prime Minister of the Lao PDR. The SEAMEC President and the SEAMES Director briefed H.E. Mr Khamphoui on SEAMEO's programmes and activities, after which the Lao Vice Prime Minister expressed the hope that his Government would be allowed by the Council to reactivate its status as a Member State of SEAMEO. On 10 October, H.E. Mr Khamtanh, Vice Minister of Education and Sports, presented to H.E. Dr Carino a letter in which the Government of the Lao PDR officially requests the Council for the reactivation of its SEAMEO membership. H.E. Dr Carino promised to seek the Council's approval by referendum of the application of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to become a Member State of SEAMEO, and of the Lao People's Democratic Republic request to reactivate its SEAMEO membership. On 19 November 1991, H.E. Dr Carino delivered a welcome address at the INNOTECH International Conference on Quality Education for All at the Manila Hotel. The SEAMEC President, on 27 November 1991, officiated and delivered the keynote address on the occasion of SEAMEO SEARCA's 25th Anniversary celebration. An invitation was extended by the Supreme National Council of Cambodia for the SEAMEC President and the SEAMES Director to visit Cambodia during the first week of February 1992. |
