The Philippines is one of the signatories to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which was signed on Nov. 15, 2020 after eight long years of negotiations. The free trade agreement (FTA) among the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand is expected to bring significant economic benefits to its signatories. Read More

After President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s trip to China last week, the question on everyone’s mind was: What now? What does this trip mean for our territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea? Read More

Geopolitical tensions among states will continue to reshape and disrupt the security environment in the Indo-Pacific. Parallel to this, foreign policies and security strategies of states are expected to evolve as traditional and non-traditional security issues persist alongside the emergence of new challenges. Read More

This forum aimed to convene government agencies, members of the diplomatic community, local and regional experts, and civil society organizations to share their insights and recommendations on the various Indo-Pacific strategies and the Philippines’ independent foreign policy under the Marcos, Jr. administration. Read More

As we enter 2023, we start to see more clarity in the uncertainties of the previous year. These uncertainties include the possible end of the pandemic, economic recovery, and the election of good leaders who can pull us out of these hard times. Read More

A new year is always cause for celebration. It makes us look forward to many things, but it also reminds us to make good use of the lessons we learned in the past. Read More

On Nov. 22, 2022, while appearing in the TV news program One News: The Chiefs, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos revealed that top Philippine security and foreign relations cluster officials were scheduled to meet to review the 1951 Philippine-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

According to her, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a review of the MDT considering several U.S. requests and proposals, particularly about the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). Read More