Dindo Manhit, Stratbase-ADRi President Image Source: The Philippine Star With a few days before the national elections on 9 May 2016, the political heat has further intensified as the candidates vying for the highest position of the land compete neck and neck in wooing the majority of the Philippine electorate. In the 26-29 April 2016 ABS-CBN… Read More

Angelica Mangahas, ADRi Deputy Executive Director Image Source: Rappler When clashes erupted between the Philippine Army and an armed group within Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) areas1 in early February, concerns resurfaced over the future of the proposed Bangsamoro region. With the ‘death’ of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the next steps of the MILF,… Read More

Angelica Mangahas, ADRi Deputy Executive Director and Mark Davis M. Pablo, ADRi Research Analyst Filipino extremists pledging allegiance to ISIS. (Source: http://www.rappler.com/nation/122649-jihadist-groups-allegiance-isis) The specter of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is creeping on the shores of southern Philippines. On 17 February 2016, ISIS officially recognized certain jihadist groups in Mindanao—a step closer to… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase-ADRi With the Presidential elections just around the corner, fighting corruption is, as expected, becoming a major campaign issue. Not only does every presidential candidate have “fighting corruption” or some version of the phrase as part of his or her governance platform, but one of them has actually vowed, if elected, to… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase-ADRi We recently launched the Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi)’s first book, “Thinking Beyond Politics; A Strategic Agenda for the Next President”. A rare compilation of papers born from a yearlong series of consultations with the country’s most respected intellectuals from the academe, industry, government and civil society. Our motivation to spearhead this… Read More

Wilford Wong, Secretary General of Citizen Watch Philippines, ADRi’s CSO Partner There was understandably widespread dismay when President Benigno Aquino III summarily rejected calls to reform what many had described as out-dated and unjust income tax laws. (Image Source: http://www.canadianinquirer.net/) The loudest uproar came from the middle class salary earners, who have long been overburdened by one of… Read More

Prof. Dindo Manhit, President at the Stratbase ADR Institute While he endorsed the bill the following day, a notable promise in President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address was on the pending Freedom of Information Bill (FOI). In 2010, it was Aquino’s strong anti-corruption message that propelled him to the presidency, and one of… Read More