Dr. Renato de Castro, Trustee and Convenor of the National Security and East Asian Affairs Program, Stratbase ADR Institute In December 2018, Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana declared that he wanted a review of the 1951 Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). He stated that it is high time for the two… Read More

“In vagueness lies the best deterrence.” This was how Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. described the almost 7-decade-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) during the joint press conference he held with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently. As such, Locsin is confident about the assurances given by Pompeo that the United States would come to… Read More

Weslene Uy, Economic Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute In December 2018, the Philippines recorded foreign direct investments net inflows of $677 million, a 4.8% drop from last year, and its fifth straight month of contraction. This is a turnaround from when investments continued to post a strong expansion, riding the wave of bullish investor… Read More

The Duterte administration’s much-vaunted pivot to China is finally showing in terms of economic numbers. Two years into the Duterte presidency, Chinese investments have surged to USD 195.25 million in 2018, 10 percent of the total and a far cry from the USD 10.77 million posted in 2016. For perspective, the USD 232.24 million in… Read More

Weslene Uy, Economic Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute President Duterte may have flip-flopped on his stance on several issues, but he has been consistent in his accommodation of Chinese investments and loans. And understandably so. Chinese money has filled the gap vacated by Westerners and has covered the funding requirements of developing nations. Critics,… Read More

Amb. Albert del Rosario Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Chairman of the Stratbase ADR Institute We, at the Stratbase ADR Institute Incorporated, fully welcome the official US statement that, “As the South China Sea is part of the Pacific, any armed attack on Philippine forces, aircraft, or public vessels in the South China Sea would… Read More

Alvin M. Manalansan, Health Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute The recently signed Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, Republic Act 11223, is actually aligned with the current flagship program of the Department of Health, “FOURmula One Plus: Boosting Universal Health Care.” In a healthcare system, “purchasing” refers to the process by which funds are transferred… Read More