University of San Agustin Delegation to Jakarta Model United Nations 2025 Visits ASEAN Headquarters
The University of San Agustin (USA)’s official delegation to the Jakarta Model United Nations (JMUN) 2025 paid a courtesy and study visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Headquarters in Jakarta on 12 August 2025.
The 12-member Augustinian delegation was led by Mr. John Paul P. Mondejar, Director of the International Relations Office of the University of San Agustin and adviser to the delegation, together with Mr. Andres Ceazar P. Bedonia, Head Delegate to JMUN 2025 and a senior Foreign Service student. The group was warmly welcomed by Ms. Candy Hernandez, Assistant Director and Head of the ASEAN Community Relations Division, along with Mr. Andhie Ananta of the same division.
The program featured a comprehensive briefing on ASEAN’s history, institutional framework, and its three community pillars—Political-Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural. The discussions highlighted ASEAN’s pivotal role in advancing peace, dialogue, cooperation, and integration in the region amidst evolving global challenges. A guided tour of the ASEAN Headquarters followed, allowing the delegates to gain a deeper appreciation of ASEAN’s presence in Jakarta as the center of Southeast Asian regional diplomacy.
For the Augustinian delegates, the visit was a rare opportunity to connect theory with practice. Coming directly from their participation in an international Model United Nations, the students were able to link their debates and simulations with ASEAN’s real-world structures and mechanisms of multilateral cooperation. The experience also emphasized the role of young people in building regional awareness and fostering ASEAN’s vision of a people-centered, people-oriented community.
Director Mondejar underscored the significance of the encounter, stating, “As Augustinians, we are committed to forming students who are globally competent yet deeply rooted in their values. This visit not only broadened our students’ understanding of diplomacy but also inspired them to see their role as future leaders in advancing peace, solidarity, and development in the ASEAN region and beyond.”
Head Delegate Bedonia likewise expressed his gratitude, noting, “This visit gave our delegation a deeper appreciation of ASEAN as more than a subject of study but as a living institution shaping the region’s present and future.”
Student delegate and senior Foreign Service student Ms. Xyllah Gotera also shared her perspective: “Visiting the ASEAN Headquarters made me realize that the work of diplomacy is not just about negotiations but about building trust, understanding, and cooperation among nations. As a young person, it inspired me to see that we, too, have a role in shaping the region’s future by fostering unity and dialogue.”
The University of San Agustin’s participation in JMUN 2025 and its visit to the ASEAN Headquarters are part of the university’s internationalization initiatives, designed to provide students with transformative cross-cultural, academic, and diplomatic experiences that prepare them to become principled leaders in their chosen fields.
