Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute The 2018 budget reflects this administration’s expansionist fiscal strategy, allowing more spending on priority expenditures such as infrastructure and social services. The total national budget amounting to P3.767 trillion is 12.4 percent higher than this year’s budget. While the 2018 budget may help propel the economy and… Read More

We are pleased to share with you our Occasional Paper for December, entitled “On the Right Track? Challenges Ahead of the TRAIN bill’s Journey.” Written by Ms. Weslene Uy, Senior Research Associate at Stratbase ADR Institute, the paper provides an overview on the administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), the first package of… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute The United States used to enjoy a central role in ensuring geopolitical stability throughout much of Asia. But with the changing landscape in regional security, a shift has taken place, and China has risen as an emergent power gradually pushing the United States aside. This waning influence… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute A common observation made by critics and noncritics alike of the mining industry is that the 2-percent excise tax on minerals is too low. To understand such a perspective, it will help to know that the last adjustment in the rates of the excise tax was made… Read More

Stratbase ADRi hosted a roundtable discussion entitled: “The Special Japan-Australia Strategic Partnership Within the Ambit of Democratic Security Diamond: Seeking Partnership with the Philippines in Maritime Security” last December 6. The round table discussion started with the presentation of Dr. Renato De Castro of his Special Study with the same title. Aside from the United… Read More

Dr. Renato de Castro, Trustee of the Stratbase ADR Institute In late May 2017, about 1,000 Islamic militants led by the Maute group and fighting under the black flag of the Islamic Army of Syria and Iraq took control of the central business district of Marawi City. The raid took President Rodrigo Duterte and the… Read More

Dr. Renato C. de Castro, Trustee of the Stratbase ADR Institute President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s state visit to Beijing in mid-October 2016 caused several analysts and observers to conclude that the Philippines had parted from its traditional treaty ally, the United States, and had pivoted to its main protagonist in the South China Sea dispute,… Read More