Asia Society kicks off MIT Speakers’ Series

Economists dominated the audience of Lester Thurow, who kicked off the three-part Speakers Series jointly organized by the Asia Society Philippine Foundation, Inc., The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the MIT Alumni Club of the Philippines.

Former National Economic and Development Authority director-general Gerardo Sicat sat beside University of Asia and the Pacific dean and "prophet of boom" Bernardo Villegas. Delphi Group, Inc. president Octavio Espiritu, who raised funds to beef up the economics department of his undergraduate alma mater, Ateneo de Manila, was on the next table. The Asian Development Bank and the American Chamber of Commerce were amply represented, largely because of Mr. Thurow’s topic: "Economic development in the Philippines in an emerging global economy."–MJGrey