Philippines

It is the dawn of a “new era of peace”. The Bangsamoro armed struggle in Mindanao has come to an end. The conflict between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has gone through different phases of the peace process and has culminated in the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

The healthcare industry has been thrust into the forefront of a health crisis that has brought even the most powerful governments to their knees: the Covid-19 respiratory disease.

Bound by an oath to heal the sick, healthcare professionals spend their days confronting a deadly and highly contagious illness while the rest of the world watches, bunkered in their homes. 

On Oct. 17, 2017, Philippines' President Roderigo Duterte declared the city of Marawi "liberated", after a 4-months long siege that ended in the death of at least 1,200 people, with dozens of civilians killed.

The United States’ regional hegemony in Asia is under threat like never before. For the first time in decades, both allies and rivals are openly questioning America’s staying power in the world’s most dynamic region.

Thus, the U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the region comes at a critical juncture. During his two-weeks-long overseas trip, he will visit key allies of Japan, South Korea and the Philippines as well as a former enemy (Vietnam) and chief global rival (China).