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Philippines

Extracting value, losing ground: the critical minerals boom in Palawan

Indigenous lands, livelihoods and unique ecosystems are at threat

Amid the midterms, realignments and cognitive dissonance

Voters are remaking political contestation while rewarding old names

Imee Marcos claims the family legacy

Leveraging the Marcos Sr legacy to advance her political standing—even at her brother’s expense?

Gender, dynasticism and representation in the Philippine Congress

Surprising evidence in support of the case for gender quotas

Duterte at The Hague

It’s a blow to impunity—but not even close to a fatal one

Don’t believe Marcos: the ICC is needed for drug war justice

Duterte’s resilient political influence and the institutional shortcomings of the Philippine justice system hamper domestic processes

Ayungin Shoal and the spectre of informal international law

What an alleged gentleman’s agreement tells us about China’s vision of international law

Forgetting the Battle of Manila

Why does one of the Philippines’ most traumatic wartime experiences loom small in commemorations of WW2?

The places that once were: remembering Marawi

Reconstruction efforts need to consider the role of spaces and images in building peace.

When it comes to historical distortion, we cannot fight fire with fire

Brigading, cancelling, and piling on the Marcos family’s supporters have served a critical in defending historical truths.

Martial Law nostalgia and Ilocano youth: reimagining the Marcos legacy

Recounted experiences from elder generations in Ilocos clash with national facts, and young people have to choose between the two.

Pernicious anti-politics

...problems like historical distortion and human rights violations appear to be non-issues for the Marcos administration.

NBSEAS: Nicole Curato talks to Baogang He about “Deliberative Democracy in Asia”

Professor He draws on a range of case studies in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and reflects on the wider trend of deliberative democratization in Asia and beyond.

Watch a forum: Bongbong at the Helm

A focus on issues and dynamics that can be expected to define his presidency.

Civil society in the Mekong: What can we learn from environmental struggles?

As political space contracts, the role for informal networks or coalitions expands.

“Mandatory” deaths for the poor, get out of jail free card for the rich in Asia

The fact that dirty money needs to be cleaned provides opportunities for law enforcement agencies in ASEAN to collectively monitor drug lords and drug traffickers.

A Forum: Bongbong at the Helm

...a focus on issues and dynamics that can be expected to define his presidency.

Techno-politics of data justice: perspectives from Indonesia and the Philippines

EngageMedia's latest report tries to understand how people in different contexts imagine and experience the growing digital landscape through the lens of data justice.

From Duterte to Marcos Jr: a forum

The new president and the rule of law, the judiciary, patterns of political mobilisation, and media and disinformation.

Bullets and ballots: violent politics and extremism in southern Philippines

Violence was avoided this election, but is more likely in the 2025 BARMM regional elections

People’s power and resistance in Southeast Asia in comparison: a roundtable

...movements signify the transformative potential of people’s power & its inherent precarity; state responses to protestors’ demands range widely...

A “Pangulo” ideology: leader-centrism and the return of a Marcos presidency

History, morality and facts become subservient to the success and protection of the individual leader.

No protection, more repression: freedom of expression in Southeast Asia

...these are fundamentally contrary to the principles of international human rights law and fail to meet the principle of “legal certainty” of international law.

Stay angry. Organise. Build solidarity. Democracy in post-disaster Philippines

Everyday political action shows democracy can work amidst constraints, in the aftermath of a tragedy.