Pacific Money | Economy | Southeast Asia The government is hoping that the merger of DBP and the Land Bank of the Philippines will increase profitability, with a possible eye to supporting its embryonic sovereign wealth fund. Advertisement The Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the two largest state-owned banks in the … Read more
Sara Duterte, the Philippines’ vice president and education secretary, speaks to students at Capalayan Elementary School in Surigao City, Philippines, May 12, 2023. Credit: Facebook/Inday Sara Duterte Advertisement Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday announced her “irrevocable resignation” from the country’s ruling party due to “political toxicity,” adding to the intrigue that has surrounded … Read more
ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia A Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the two nations of “violating the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Vietnam” in separate recent incidents. Philippine Coast Guard personnel install a navigational buoy emblazoned with the Philippine flag in areas claimed by Manila in the South China Sea. Credit: Facebook/Philippine Coast Guard Advertisement Vietnam’s government has … Read more
Advertisement Australia will provide surveillance drones and other high-tech gear to the Philippine coast guard and is considering whether to take part in joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday. Wong, who held talks in Manila with her counterpart, Enrique Manalo, also thanked the Philippine government for … Read more
Advertisement Several initiatives could lead to an overhaul of the Philippine education sector under the government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. First, legislators have already convened the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom), which set a three-year timetable to evaluate the impact of the legal reforms implemented in 1991. Second, the Department of Education … Read more
ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia The former opposition senator has been detained since 2017 on drug charges widely believed to be politically motivated. She remains in jail on an outstanding charge. Detained former opposition Senator Leila de Lima, center, waves as she goes out of the Muntinlupa trial court on Friday, May 12, 2023 in Muntinlupa, Philippines. … Read more
May 05, 2023 Indonesia Works to Rescue 20 Trafficking Victims in Myanmar By Niniek Karmini Fake recruiters allegedly offered the Indonesian victims high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy in Myanmar. May 05, 2023 How the Baltics Can Help Boost Civil Defense in Taiwan By Daniel Fu As Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia … Read more