Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute Populism ruled during the first five years of the Duterte administration. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, exacerbated by national officials’ mismanagement of the government response to the unprecedented health crisis, has unraveled the populist rhetoric that once made Rodrigo Duterte invincible. The continuing lockdowns and the confusing ECQ-MECQ-GCQ-ECQ cycle of… Read More

Paco A. Pangalangan, Executive Director, Stratbase ADR Institute Earlier this year, a World Bank report found that globally, about 4.8 to 12.7 million tonnes of mismanaged plastic enter the ocean every year. Of that amount, about 80% comes from Asia. But the Philippines alone contributes an estimated 0.75 million metric tons of plastic waste in… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute Before COVID-19, pollution and the improper disposal and management of solid waste were already among the main concerns of developing economies in terms of sustainable development. Not only do these issues contribute to environmental degradation, but these wastes also contaminate the food chain and eventually put at risk the… Read More

Paco A. Pangalangan, Executive Director, Stratbase ADR Institute I recently had a chance to moderate a great discussion on the Philippines’ digital readiness. The virtual town hall discussion (vTHD), organized by Stratbase ADR Institute, was kicked off by Secretary Gringo Honasan of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). Members of the panel included… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute Regional power shifts and the emergence of complex security challenges have continued to shape the Indo-Pacific. Aside from pursuing their strategic interests and navigating the various aspects of the strategic competition between the United States and China, states have started to prioritize and look into the importance of multilateralism… Read More

More than a year into the pandemic, and despite earnest efforts and investments to combat the virus, COVID-19 continues to bring untold damage to individuals, communities, and nations. The global crisis has put to test the world’s health systems and has threatened social structures and economies. Science tells us that a robust vaccination program is… Read More

Dindo Manhit, President, Stratbase ADR Institute The evolving nature of security threats in the Indo-Pacific has underscored the importance of multilateral cooperation and inclusiveness. For instance, the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exemplified how multilateralism can strengthen the capacity of regional organizations and national governments to assess, prevent and effectively respond to the… Read More