Southeast Asia Insights

Early on March 13, as fishing boats and cargo vessels moved through waters off Palawan and the Sulu Sea, debris from a Chinese Long March 8A rocket fell into areas within the Philippines.

Corruption in the Philippines does not begin with billion-peso scandals. It often starts with small, routine exchanges.   A nationwide survey conducted in late 2025 found that 73% of adult Filipinos identify bribery as the most common form of corruption, ranking it above misuse of public funds, vote buying, and delays in the justice system. That number reflects something deeper than perception. It reflects daily experience.   A perm...

Malaysia is ramping up its fight against forced labor aiming to completely eliminate it by 2030. In January, the government unveiled a new National Action Plan on Forced Labor for 2026–2030, designed to strengthen policies and practices to protect workers, especially migrants. Stronger Actions to Protect Workers and Stop Forced Labor A workshop held in November 2025 brought together experts, government officials, and workers’ groups...

US President Donald Trump has urged allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints, after Iran declared the passage closed and threatened to strike ships attempting to cross it.   Trump specifically warned NATO allies they face a “very bad future” if they refuse to help secure the corridor, pressing Europe to support an American effort to reopen the route. So far, the response...

A job offer promising 200,000 pesos a month sounded like a lifeline. Instead, it led one Filipino man to being a prisoner of war in Ukraine.   For Raymon Gumangan of Alcala, Pangasinan, the job offer he got seemed legitimate. The recruiter, known to Raymon only as “Perst,” contacted him through social media and messaging apps. The job was described as logistics work in Russia, with a contract to be signed upon arrival and a mon...