Weslene Uy, Economic Fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute Duterte’s economic managers finally got a much-needed reprieve at the start of 2019. After months of struggling to contain increasing commodity prices, the inflation rate finally showed signs of slowing down. First, it clocked in at 6% in November, before easing further to 5.1% in December,… Read More

Edwin Santiago, Executive Director of the Stratbase ADR Institute The United States government has been on a partial government shutdown for more than 10 days now. By most accounts, some 800,000 federal employees are affected, either working without pay or placed on furlough, a temporary leave. This shutdown is a result of a political deadlock… Read More

Edwin Santiago, Executive Director of the Stratbase ADR Institute The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) lists eight major characteristics of good governance — participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive, and follows the rule of law. Of these, accountability and transparency are arguably the… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute The economic momentum has slowed down in the third quarter of 2018. But the economic managers are hopeful that the resilience of the Philippine economy in 2018 will likely continue over the medium term. As a result of the underperformance of the agriculture and unprecedented increase in inflation,… Read More

Dr. Renato Cruz de Castro, Trustee and Convenor of the National Security and East Asian Affairs Program, Stratbase ADR Institute During his six-year term, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III pursued a balancing or a challenging policy on China’s expansive maritime claim in the South China Sea. He countered China by shifting the Armed Forces of… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute Given the political and economic challenges that the Philippine economy faces, compounded by external strains and territorial problems, how can the Duterte administration forge ahead in its third year in office and lead the country to a more fruitful era? Positioning is the order of the day.… Read More

The last year has been a challenging one for Duterte’s economic managers, who had to grapple with slower economic expansion, higher-than-expected inflation, weaker exports, and declining competitiveness, just to name a few. For the first time in eight years, lawmakers have also failed to pass the succeeding year’s budget on time, which will affect the… Read More