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

Richard Javad Heydarian, Non-Resident Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute In the 21st Century, infrastructure development has become the new pivot of geopolitics. Power and influence are no longer measured by military prowess or economic size alone but also the ability of international actors to provide the necessary capital and technology to overhaul decaying or underdeveloped… Read More

Atty. Lysander Castillo, Environment Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute and Secretary-General of the Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship (PBEST) Merriam Webster defines stewardship as “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” In his encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis underscored man’s role as… Read More

Weslene Uy, Senior Economic Research Analyst of the Stratbase ADR Institute The chorus of lawmakers and various groups calling for the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN)’s suspension amidst inflation rates peaking to four-year highs has only grown louder. The chief architects of the law have been put on the defensive, vehemently explaining that… Read More