Surveys that ask voters, “were you offered money or goods for your vote?” put Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia at the high (most widespread) end in Southeast Asia. A Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer round covering 2019–20 found about 28% of respondents in Thailand and the Philippines, and 26% in
ASEAN member states have long maintained a wary and limited engagement with the International Criminal Court (ICC), prioritizing national sovereignty over participation in the Rome Statute system. Only a small minority of Southeast Asian countries are State Parties, and regional responses to ICC actions have typically been muted, cautious, or
PLAGUED WITH POWER OUTAGES THAT ARE GETTING WORSE, WHY HAS ASEAN CHOSEN TO STEER CLEAR OF NUCLEAR POWER?
Japan has 15 operable nuclear powerplants, providing nearly 10% of all electricity throughout the country. China has 52, with another 37 being constructed, which – when completed – will form a
ASEAN member nations are struggling to keep their proverbial heads above water, as well as their feet wet. An enhanced cycle of floods and droughts are today more and more challenging their abilities to adequately provide citizens with an overall better quality of life, thereby jeopardizing the traditional rule of
Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto “Gilbert” Teodoro Jr. issued a sharp call for ASEAN member states to abandon any pretense of neutrality in the face of Chinese actions in the South China Sea, arguing that Beijing’s efforts to divide the bloc pose a direct threat to regional security and
The Philippines proudly ranked 65th in the 2026 Atlas of Impunity, high-fiving itself for staying competitive in the regional “nothing ever happens to anyone” league while trailing only the true professionals of chaos. Officials celebrated the mid-table glory as pure Filipino excellence—neither disastrous enough for collapse nor functional enough to
