November 21, 2017 Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute The Philippines has just successfully concluded its hosting of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit and Related Summits, and some observers argue that the accession of ASEAN and China to kickstart negotiations on a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute In the past days President Duterte told Filipinos of his plan to be frank with China in bringing up Philippine and Asean concerns during their meeting at Apec in Vietnam. Specifically, he said he would press the urgency of Asean and China coming up with a Code… Read More

When ASEAN’s Leaders and partners descend on Manila for the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit this November, the association will once again have cause to highlight itself as a model of regionalism and to reflect upon its purpose as a global player. In view of ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary and the dramatic changes that… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute  Could Southeast Asia be turning the page on its inter-state disputes to focus on its internal ones? This is one theme that emerged from the recently concluded meeting of defense chiefs from all over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The meetings, held last week in… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute  The Mining Industry Coordinating Council, cochaired by the finance and environment secretaries, recently voted to overturn the ban on open-pit mining through Department Administrative Order No. 2017-10. The order, which specifically stopped open-pit mining only for copper, gold, silver and complex ores, had been issued by then… Read More

Yesterday, the Stratbase ADRi organized a launch and presentation of a Special Study by Dr. Francisco Magno, Executive Director of De La Salle University (DLSU) Robredo Institute of Governance and Trustee of Stratbase ADR Institute entitled “The Long March to Transparency: Institutionalizing FOI in the Philippines”, the study shares the view that transparency has public… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute for Strategic and International Studies The fiasco at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) unfolded during congressional hearings in the past month, revealing the decades-old corruption entrenched in the agency. While the incident has yet to be resolved, it trained the spotlight on the complex web of errant… Read More