Dr. Renato Cruz De Castro, Trustee and Convenor of the National Security and East Asian Affairs Program of the Stratbase ADR Institute After meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Singapore last week, the regional bloc and China announced a breakthrough in the drafting for the framework for a Code of Conduct… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute Imposing new taxes or increasing tax rates has always been the primary means for government to improve revenue collection. Ideally, these revenues, in turn, translate into good public services. The reality, however, is not that simple. Tax leaks occur due to corruption and irregularities in tax collection,… Read More

Dr. Francisco Magno, Trustee and Convenor of the Right Governance and Open Governments Program of the Stratbase ADR Institute Suggestions from some quarters to revert to manual elections go against the grain of evidence. The shift towards an automated polling system that started two decades ago has yielded favorable results in terms of citizen satisfaction… Read More

With recent developments that seemingly undermine the established rules-based international system, serious questions over the adherence to the international law have been raised. For instance, over recent months we have seen chemical weapon attacks in Syria, Salisbury and Kuala Lumpur. In Europe, we have also seen parts of countries forcibly taken by others. In Asia-Pacific… Read More

Claudette Guevara, Deputy Executive Director for Programs of the Stratbase ADR Institute and Secretary General of Democracy Watch Philippines Our nation had taken great strides towards the improvement of our elections by shifting to automation. Arguably, traditional modes of electoral cheating and electoral violence have been prevented and minimized since its implementation. This time, Philippine democracy… Read More

Weslene Uy, Senior Economic Research Analyst of the Stratbase ADR Institute After passing the first package under the Duterte administration’s tax program, lawmakers are now focusing on “TRAIN 2,” which aims to lower corporate income tax rates and rationalize fiscal incentives. Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s prodding during his third State of the Nation Address, the… Read More

Weslene Uy, Senior Economic Research Analyst of the Stratbase ADR Institute In what was a surprising deviation from his usual off-the-cuff remarks, President Duterte stuck to his script as he delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA). Echoing his economic managers, he fended off criticisms of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion… Read More