United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, during his visit to Manila last week, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to help the Philippines strengthen its defense posture. The US would support the Philippines in case of attacks, he said. Citing the deep, strong, and lasting ties between the two countries, Mr. Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., discussed concrete actions to address destabilizing activities in our archipelagic territory. Read More

The Supreme Court has finally wrapped up oral arguments on the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP). Two petitions that raised legal issues caused the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on a policy that was meant to make the enforcement of traffic rules more efficient, less vulnerable to human intervention, and bolster overall road safety. In fact, a significant decrease in the number of traffic violations had been attributed to the NCAP. Read More

Through this event, the Institute seeks to provide a platform for experts and scholars to share their views and recommendations on the Philippines’ foreign policy direction. Read More

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was clear and unequivocal in his message to the international business community during his trip to Davos, Switzerland last week. Time and again, he emphasized that the Philippines is well aware of the central role that digital technology plays in the life of our nation and our economy. Read More

The Philippines is one of the signatories to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which was signed on Nov. 15, 2020 after eight long years of negotiations. The free trade agreement (FTA) among the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand is expected to bring significant economic benefits to its signatories. Read More

After President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s trip to China last week, the question on everyone’s mind was: What now? What does this trip mean for our territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea? Read More

Geopolitical tensions among states will continue to reshape and disrupt the security environment in the Indo-Pacific. Parallel to this, foreign policies and security strategies of states are expected to evolve as traditional and non-traditional security issues persist alongside the emergence of new challenges. Read More