We are pleased to share with you our January occasional paper, entitled “The 2018 Budget as a National Development Tool: Some Caveats”. Written by Mr. Louie Montemar, the paper examines certain aspects of the national budget and highlights issues to clarify its importance as a policy tool in the overall development approach of the current… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute Two changes need to be pursued to make Philippine society more functional and durable: reforming the law of the land and restructuring the political system. First: By reforming the Constitution, policy change is instituted at the national level, making the law of the land more responsive to… Read More

Stratbase ADR Institute, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, will be hosting a round table discussion entitled “A Blueprint for Fisheries and Environmental Cooperation in the South China Sea”, to be held on 2 February 2018 in Makati City. The guest speaker, Mr. Gregory Poling, will jumpstart the roundtable discussion by providing… Read More

Weslene Uy, Senior Economic Research Associate The paradox of the country’s tax system is not lost among our government officials. After all, the main catalyst behind the tax reform program was the need to overhaul the current tax system and make it simpler, fairer, and more efficient. Despite having one of the highest tax rates… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute When President Duterte signed the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act into law last December, a number of leading economists lauded the move. After all, the first package of the tax reform law is arguably the Duterte administration’s most important legislative victory to date. In… Read More

Jose Antonio Custodio, Non-Resident Security Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute In 2013, President Xi Jin Ping proposed for the establishment of a comprehensive economic project that would cover large parts of the globe stretching from China all the way to Africa and Europe. This has since then become known as the One Belt One… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute A new year is a time for change. A survey of the SWS shows that 96 percent of Filipinos are hopeful at the start of 2018. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank have issued positive forecasts on the economy given the potentials of increased public spending… Read More