Two dangerous flashpoints currently surround the Philippines. The first is the West Philippine Sea dispute, where an expansionist China confronts the Philippines and three littoral Southeast Asian states in the South China Sea. The second and more dangerous one is the Taiwan Straits Crisis, where China is pursuing its irredentist claim against the self-governing island of Taiwan. 

Since 1949, China has considered Taiwan a renegade province ruled by the ousted Nationalist forces that had to be redeemed, either by force or persuasion, through a historic reunification with the mainland. Read More

On Feb. 24, Russia launched a full-scale armed invasion of Ukraine. The member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) found themselves confronted with the terrible implications of Russia’s unprovoked aggression in the Ukraine invasion.

The invasion was a blatant violation of an independent state’s sovereignty as enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter. Russia’s close partner in East Asia, China, might replicate Russia’s approach in pursuing its irredentist agenda. This could be achieved through its expansion into the South China Sea at the expense of other coastal states and the invasion of Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Read More

It appears that the dust has settled as the new administration has taken office and set its priority agenda for its first year. The country recently heard President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. give his first State of the Nation Address, with the President concluding that “the state of the nation is sound.”  

The six years of the Rodrigo Duterte administration was indeed a colorful period, to say the least. It was a time marked by strongman rule, local and international criticisms, major infrastructure projects, and a seeming pivot to China despite having an independent foreign policy. Read More

The Stratbase ADR Institute has published its Occasional Paper for the month of August, entitled “The Philippines Under Duterte: A Term-End Performance Evaluation Based on International Governance Indicators,” authored by Mr. Edwin P. Santiago of De La Salle University Manila.

This paper objectively evaluates the six years of the Duterte administration. In explaining whether the administration was a success or a failure, it uses the very same indicators of good governance listed by the National Economic Development Authority, namely: (1) The Worldwide Governance Indicators, (2) Ease of Doing Business, (3) Global Competitiveness Index, (4) Economic Freedom Index, (5) Corruption Perception Index, (6) Rule of Law Index, and (7) Open Budget Index. Read More

The medium-term headline goals of the Marcos Jr. administration are very challenging amid the economic scarring caused by the pandemic and the disruptions in the global supply chain and financial system.

With the immediate goal of recovery and regaining the development momentum, a rethinking of economic approaches and how the government could facilitate development points to the strategic importance of investments to our economy and everyday life.

To address joblessness, which currently stands at 6 percent and translates to 2.99 million jobless Filipinos, domestic and foreign investments can fund many projects and support the MSMEs in terms of providing jobs, income, and livelihoods. Read More

The Stratbase ADR Institute, in partnership with the Philippine Society of Orphan Disorders (PSOD) and UHCWatch, hosted an event on rare diseases entitled “The State of the Rare Disease Law: Continuing Implementation and the Delivery of Responsive Health Services to the Affected Population”. Read More

Moving beyond the crisis entails a wide range of development challenges and opportunities for the Philippines under the President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. administration.

While the investment-led, export-oriented, manufacturing, and agricultural approaches offer viable and effective solutions to economic problems, digitalization is the critical enabler for recovery and sustainable growth. The use of digital technology offers much more in terms of speed, efficiency, and reach.

Cognizant of the unlimited opportunities at hand, President Marcos Jr., in three of his 19 priority bills, emphasize the need for digital transformation, i.e., the E-Government Act, E-Governance Law, and the Internet Transactions Act. Read More