The current geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific challenges states to continuously improve their defense capabilities to ensure a free and open region. The peace, security, and stability of the region lie in each state’s commitment to uphold and protect international laws, treaties, and policies in the promotion of a rules-based international order.

For its part, the Philippines remains committed to strengthen its defense capabilities by modernizing its military assets to secure its territorial integrity and contribute to the region’s security framework. The complex and evolving nature of internal and external challenges, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, require recalibrating defense strategies, capacitating of human resources, and capitalizing on existing and new security partnerships with like-minded allies such as the United States. Read More

This event gathered key experts on maritime security and the environment who will discuss policy initiatives and studies to conserve the environmental diversity of the West Philippine Sea and the current initiatives to declare the territory as a protected area. Read More

The reality of red tape has crippling consequences to our nation. Red tape is a euphemism for the numerous bureaucratic bottlenecks, usually of a corrupt or administratively inefficient nature, that delay what should be a logically necessary and efficient process. Read More

When in doubt, look at the numbers. It is easy to make pronouncements and press releases, but at the end of the day, what matters is the hard data to back these claims. Read More

In line with the celebration of Rare Disease Week and the 7th year celebration of the signing of the Rare Disease Act of 2016, the Stratbase ADR Institute, in partnership with PSOD and UHCWatch, organized another dialogue entitled, “Sustaining Gains and Balancing Priorities: Implementation of Rare Disease Act for 2023”, to continue the discussion on plans that will benefit the RD patients.

The discussion aimed to provide a venue for key decision makers and stakeholders to continue the previous discussions that will further institutionalize the government’s support to rare disease patients, which is aligned with the implementation of the Rare Disease Law and in accordance with the achievement of the objectives of the IRDMSP 2022-2026. Read More

Gray zone activities are performed by states to assert their power and influence while remaining below the threshold of what could be considered acts of war. As it stands below the threshold of conflict, gray zone tactics challenge current policies and push states to realign strategies that can effectively counter these operations. Those on the receiving side of these aggressive acts must calibrate an appropriate, commensurate, and effective response that is cautiously complex. Read More

When one state sends dozens of vessels into another country’s territory or points a military-grade laser at the other country’s coast guard, these are definitely not acts of peace. Still, they fall below the threshold of what would be deemed acts of war. They are, instead, within the realm of the gray zone. Read More