Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem, Professor of Asian Studies at the Asian Center, was elected President of the Freedom from Debt Coalition at the FDC’s 12th National Congress last May 9-11, 2014.  A founding member of FDC, Tadem will assume office in January 2015.

Photo (Right): Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem

Established in March 1988, the FDC is ‘a nationwide, multisectoral, nonsectarian and pluralist coalition conducting policy advocacy work and campaigns to realize a common framework and agenda for economic development.’   In pursuing its goals, the FDC ‘depart[s] from the traditional definition and scope of the economy and economic development’ by focusing on ‘those activities, relations, processes, policies and structures involved in and affecting the provisioning for human life in all its fullness, integrity and dignity.’ Ongoing FDC programs include debt and public finance, power, water, climate justice, and, women and gender.

Professor Tadem teaches graduate courses on Southeast Asia and Theories and Perspectives in Asian Studies. The Asian Center offers M.A. programs in Asian Studies focusing on any of four fields of specialization: Southeast Asian Studies, South Asian Studies, Northeast Asian Studies, and West Asian Studies. The Center also offers other graduate degrees such as an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Philippine Studies.

For more information on the FDC, visit its website at http://www.fdc.ph/.