Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute The unprecedented drop in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2020 was worse than expected, given the reduced economic activities because of the series of lockdowns in the previous quarter. The 16.5-percent contraction in the GDP was the worst in the history of the… Read More

Venice Isabelle Rañosa Research Manager, Stratbase ADR Institute What started as a public health issue in China in late 2019 has turned into a global crisis that has dramatically reshaped economies and social practices worldwide and will continue to do so in the years to come. While economists predicted a promising future for the Philippines… Read More

Dr. Francisco A. Magno, Trustee and Program Convenor, Stratbase ADR Institute It is disconcerting that a spate of allegations had been raised on the misuse of public funds amid the uphill battle of the Philippines to control the COVID-19 crisis. The Senate has started an investigation on the questionable disbursement of funds by the Philippine… Read More

COVID-19 has overwhelmed the Philippines’ healthcare system and economy. What started as a public health crisis has quickly evolved into an economic disaster with the Philippines entering a technical recession in the second quarter of 2020. For the first time in four decades, the Philippine economy contracted by 16.5%, its lowest quarterly growth recorded since… Read More

In a recent event organized by the Philippine Bar Association of the Philippines it was argued that despite what its critics may say, the Duterte administration places great importance on the role of a fair and democratic media in having an empowered and well-informed Filipino society. This argument, however, contradicts the reality that many journalists… Read More

Dr. Francisco A. Magno, Trustee and Program Convenor, Stratbase ADR Institute The Philippines is at a critical juncture in its history as the COVID-19 virus continues to wreak havoc on our health and economy. Last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 0.7% during the first quarter and 16.5%… Read More

Orlando Oxales, President of Stratbase Research and Intelligence (SRi) and Lead Convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines One of the President’s most quoted digressing remarks during his penultimate SONA, an expected element every time he speaks in public, was his renewed tirades against the two telcos, threatening to “expropriate” their operations because of, “less-than-ideal service that the… Read More