Philippine Studies Project

The Philippine Studies Project is a multi-year initiative under the Regional Political and Studies Programme (RSPS) to enhance ISEAS research on the Philippines. Running from June 2019 to September 2023, the Project receives funding support from the Philippine Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Singapore.

The Philippine Studies Project aims to support the research capabilities and coverage of Philippine studies at ISEAS through publications and events. It also offers opportunities for both established and young scholars and experts from the Philippines to share their views and perspectives on multifaceted developments in the country.

The current Coordinator of the Philippine Studies Project is Dr Aries Arugay. Dr Malcolm Cook managed the project until June 2021.

Events

Title	Speaker(s)	Date
Moving Muslim Mindanao Forward	Amihilda “Ämie” Sangcopan	13 February 2020
Building Back Better: Philippines’ Pandemic Recovery	Ronald U. Mendoza	30 June 2020
Philippines and the Climate Crisis	Loren Legarda	12 July 2021
The Philippines-US Alliance after Duterte: Strategic Agenda and Directions	Charmaine Willoughby Julio S. Amador III Gregory B. Poling	25 March 2022
Polarised and Mobilised? Examining 2022 Electoral Campaigns in the Philippines	Jean Encinas-Franco Cleo Calimbahin Carmel Abao	20 April 2022
Unpacking Pro-Russian Narratives in Southeast Asia	Munira Mustaffa Aries Arugay Hoang Thi Ha	22 April 2022
The New ‘New Society’? Analysing the 2022 Philippine Elections	Ronald Holmes Maria Ela Atienza Imelda Deinla	27 May 2022
Torn Between Two Powers: The Philippines in the US-China Rivalry	Aries A. Arugay	28 November 2022
The Philippine Economy amid Disruptive Transitions	Jan Carlo Punongbayan Karl Jandoc Christina Epetia Zy-za Nadine Suzara	15 March 2023

Books

Title	Author(s)	Date
ASEAN Centrality: An Autoethnographic Account by a Philippine Diplomat	Elizabeth Buensuceso	2021

Perspectives

Title	Author(s)	Date
The Philippines’ Alliance Problems with the USA	Malcolm Cook	13 June 2019
The Duterte Administration’s China Tensions	Malcolm Cook	13 August 2019
China-Philippine Relations: Duterte’s China Visit and Prospects for Oil and Gas Exploration	Lye Liang Fook	3 October 2019
Philippine Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers: Solving Community Problems and Bridging Development Gaps	Rafaelita M. Aldaba	10 October 2019
The Death of EDCA and Philippine-U.S. Security Relations	Renato Cruz De Castro	11 May 2020
Economics of Lockdown: Insights on Building Back Better in Post-Pandemic Philippines	Ronald U. Mendoza	9 July 2020
The Bilateral Consultative Mechanism on the South China Sea and Philippines-China Relations	Rommel C. Banlaoi	22 April 2021
“Political Connectivity”: A New Dimension of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the Philippines	Aaron Jed Rabena	26 April 2021
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s Southeast Asia Tour: Assurances and Dividends	William Choong, Hoang Thi Ha, Le Hong Hiep, Ian Storey	5 August 2021
The Philippines and the South China Sea Arbitration Award: External Appeasement and Internal Dissension	Jay L. Batongbacal	24 September 2021
The Philippines’ China Policy and the 2022 Elections: Time for a Rethink	Charmaine Willoughby	22 February 2022
Stronger Social Media Influence in the 2022 Philippine Elections	Aries A. Arugay	7 April 2022
Foreign Policy & Disinformation Narratives in the 2022 Philippine Election Campaign	Aries A. Arugay	6 June 2022
Situating the Role Schools Have Played in the Mindanao Conflict	Jonamari Kristin Floresta	21 June 2022
A Strategic Reset?: The Philippines-United States Alliance under President Marcos Jr.	Aries A. Arugay and Ian Storey	15 May 2023

Fulcrum Commentaries

Title	Author(s)	Date
Philippine Sovereign Limits	Malcolm Cook	8 July 2019
The Post-Sovereign Philippines	Malcolm Cook	12 July 2019
A Mindanao Test for China-Philippine Relations	Malcolm Cook	18 July 2019
Duterte’s Trip to Russia Results in Modest Gains	Ian Storey	10 October 2019
Philippine Critical Infrastructure and China	Malcolm Cook	2 December 2019
President Duterte’s China Benefits	Malcolm Cook	12 December 2019
Manila’s VFA Termination: A Win for China and Russia	Ian Storey	17 February 2020
Duterte’s ‘Independent’ Foreign Policy: Independence from Criticism	Malcolm Cook	10 March 2020
Covid-19: A Particular Philippine Problem	Malcolm Cook	27 March 2020
Covid-19 in the Philippines: Star Mayors, Malacanang Material?	Malcolm Cook	27 April 2020
Visiting Forces Agreement: Uncle Sam Still Welcome for Another Year	Ian Storey	4 June 2020
Covid-19 in the Philippines: Corporate Bigwigs to the Rescue	Malcolm Cook	8 June 2020
The Philippine Pandemic and the Plague on Pedagogy	Malcolm Cook	22 July 2020
Philippine Remittances and Covid-19: Stayin’ Alive	Malcolm Cook	28 August 2020
Duterte the (Economic) Liberal	Malcolm Cook	1 December 2020
A Duterte-Democrat President Redux?	Malcolm Cook	17 December 2020
The Philippine-US Alliance: Keeping Things on an Even Keel	Renato Cruz De Castro	1 February 2021
The US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement: The Duterte Punchbag That Will Probably Survive the Blows	Ian Storey	19 February 2021
Bangsamoro Elections: Choosing Between Two Bad Options	Malcolm Cook	12 March 2021
The Philippines’ Vexed Vaccine Rollout	Malcolm Cook	30 March 2021
Philippine-US Cooperation on Whitsun Reef: A “Win” for the Biden Team in Southeast Asia?	Robert Sutter	21 May 2021
Following the Money: Changes to Philippine Remittance Inflows	Malcolm Cook	3 June 2021
After 70 Years, It’s Time to Modernise the US-Philippines Alliance	Ian Storey	23 September 2021
Presidential Polls and the West Philippine Sea: A Sea Change?	Jay Batongbacal	19 January 2022
Philippines Presidential Polls: Economic Recovery at Stake	JC Punongbayan	15 February 2022
Is an Opposition Alliance Still Possible in the 2022 Philippine Presidential Elections?	Elvin Ong	28 February 2022
Reforming the Philippine Electoral Commission	Cleo Calimbahin	15 March 2022
The Belt and Road Initiative and the Philippines’ Post-Duterte China Challenge	Aaron Jed Rabena	28 March 2022
We’re Feeling It: Philippines Voters’ Emotional Beliefs in Presidential Candidates	Michael Magcamit	12 April 2022
Stronger Social Media Influence in the 2022 Philippine Elections	Aries A. Arugay	14 April 2022
Talk is Cheap: The 2022 Philippine Elections’ Climate Implications	Ruth Lusterio-Rico	18 April 2022
Local Matters in the 2022 Philippine Elections	Maria Ela Atienza	29 April 2022
The China Factor and “Bongbong” Marcos’s Foreign Policy	Aaron Jed Rabena	12 July 2022
UNCLOS: The Polestar for Philippine Maritime Ambitions	Jacqueline F. Espenilla	8 November 2022
Fact-checking in the Philippines: The Quest to End Disinformation in Elections	Ma. Diosa Labiste	13 December 2022
Digital Labour Platforms Must Provide Philippine Gig Workers a Fair Deal	Cheryll Ruth Soriano	2 February 2023
What Does Marcos 2.0 Mean for ASEAN?	Julio S. Amador III	1 March 2023
Posting for Profit: Social Media Influencers in Philippine Politics	Maria Elize H. Mendoza	9 March 2023
You Can’t Put the Genie Back in the Bottle: Marcos Jr.’s Defence Cooperation Policy	Justin Baquisal	20 March 2023
Marcos Jr. and the Dangers of Virtual Hypermasculinity	Maria Tanyag	4 April 2023
The Curious Case of Cagayan: Localisation of U.S.-China Rivalry in the Philippines	Aries A. Arugay	6 April 2023
Why China Should Learn To Live With U.S.-Philippine EDCA	Julio S. Amador III and Deryk Baladjay	3 May 2023

Op-eds

Title	Author	Date
The Bong Bong bounce: Marcos Jnr has the Philippines in thrall (Financial Review)	Aries A. Arugay	28 January 2022
El giro hacia China que deja Duterte en Filipinas (El Pais)	Aries A. Arugay	16 February 2022
政治观察家：新总统是否会继承争议性政策 菲律宾后杜特尔特时代政治动向备受关注 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	18 February 2022
“菲总统选举民调虽仍落后小马可斯 罗布雷多支持率回升或有机会翻盘 (Liahe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	20 April 2022
Marcos Comeback Is Running on Manipulated Nostalgia (Bloomberg)	Aries A. Arugay	3 May 2022
菲總統大選政二代合體聲量高　領先者遭指親中威脅美戰略 (TVBS)	Aries A. Arugay	6 May 2022
Feature: drones, livestreaming feature Philippine presidency race amid pandemic (Xinhua)	Aries A. Arugay	6 May 2022
A dictator’s son is leading Philippine polls. ‘Pink warriors’ are trying to stop him (NBC News)	Aries A. Arugay	8 May 2022
菲律賓總統大選今登場　民眾一早6點大排長龍投票 (Apple Daily)	Aries A. Arugay	9 May 2022
Why the Philippines election could be a win for China (CNN)	Aries A. Arugay	9 May 2022
Philippines election: Ferdinand Marcos Jr closes in on victory (The Guardian)	Aries A. Arugay	9 May 2022
Ferdinand Marcos triumphs in Philippines presidential election (The Guardian)	Aries A. Arugay	10 May 2022
Philippine election: What does a Marcos Jnr presidency mean for Asean and democracy in the region? (South China Morning Post)	Aries A. Arugay	11 May 2022
How will Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. taking power in the Philippines change U.S. relations? (CBS News)	Aries A. Arugay	13 May 2022
Will history be rewritten in Malaysia too (Straits Times)	Aries A. Arugay	21 May 2022
Philippines election result is a win for dynasty politics (Yahoo News UK)	Aries A. Arugay	26 May 2022
PH foreign policy made more dynamic under Duterte admin (ABS-CBN)	Aries A. Arugay	8 June 2022
执政六年明天交棒 惠民政策血腥扫毒杜特尔特功过难评 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	30 June 2022
学者：杜特尔特政策方向将继续主导菲律宾政治 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	30 June 2022
菲新政府面对通胀加剧与中美关系等挑战 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	1 July 2022
South China Sea: as US eyes a Subic Bay return, was Chinese ‘coercion’ of Philippines the reason? (South China Morning Post)	Aries A. Arugay	4 December 2022
南中国海主权课题料无重大突破 分析：小马可斯访华将着重经济合作 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	3 January 2023
小马可斯习近平会谈 将重启南中国海油气开发谈判 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	5 January 2023
须以菲利益为先避免外交陷被动 小马可斯中美平衡策略受考验 (Lianhe Zaobao)	Aries A. Arugay	7 January 2023
Insight: US Military Expansion in the Philippines (Channel News Asia)	Aries A. Arugay	6 April 2023
As US and Philippine defense ties grow, China warns over Taiwan tensions (CNN)	Aries A. Arugay	27 April 2023
Marcos, Back in Arms of U.S., Is Making His Own Name in Foreign Policy (New York Times)	Aries A. Arugay	2 May 2023
Philippines’ new military deal with US: Will it tilt power balance in South China Sea? (Channel News Asia)	Aries A. Arugay	14 May 2023