The official opening of the Second Asian Regional Cooperation Seminar took place on Tuesday, October 17, 1961, at the World Health Organisation conference hall in Manilla, Philippines. Planned for October 17 to November 12, the four-week long Seminar was under the joint sponsorship of the Co-ordinating Secretariat, the Student Councils Association of the Philippines (Scap) and the National Union of Students of the Philippines (Nusp).

Three weeks of the Seminar were devoted to discussions on student Press, student travel, student welfare, the functions and activities of the National Union in Asia, regional cooperation in Asia and contemporary Asian questions, such as neutralism, the language problem and the changing pattern of education in Asia. The Seminar also examined the contribution which Asian students can make to the cause of abiding world peace. During the last week of the Seminar, the participants were taken around the Philippines in order to enable them to gain a better insight into life in the Philippines as well as to give them an opportunity to learn about the practical aspects of organising a country-wide tour.