Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress

28/04/2026

The world is changing fast, and ASEAN is caught in the middle. As global power shifts continue to affect the regional order, what does this mean for Southeast Asia and ASEAN as an institution?

Join the conversation in Session 4 "ASEAN in a Changing World: What Does It Mean for Us?" at the ASEAN for the Peoples Week 2026, taking place on Friday, 8 May 2026, from 14:35 to 15:35 Cebu Time at the Monte Carlo Ballroom, Mövenpick Hotel Cebu, the Philippines.

Register now for ASEAN Community Town Hall via aseanforthepeoples.org. You can also watch it live on our website — see you there!

25/04/2026

The Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation is glad to partner with the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia in holding the ASEAN Community Town Hall, part of a series of activities under the ASEAN for the Peoples Week. The event will be held on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu. The Town Hall will be held in Movenpick Hotel in Mactan Island from 9AM-5PM. It is free and open to the public. Please register at the link in the poster below.

02/04/2025

Last week, Pathways Research Fellow Lucio B. Pitlo III joined the 2025 Boao Forum for Asia Sub-Forum on the South China Sea held in Hainan, China. He joined participants from Mainland China, Taiwan, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam. Thanks to the organizers, National Institute for South China Sea Studies, China Oceanic Development Foundation, Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, and Boao Forum for Asia Secretariat, for the kind invitation. Photos courtesy of Beijing Scroll, China Daily and fellow Filipino participant and youth leader Hugo Santos.

12/02/2025

A foreign aid freeze, uncertain security guarantees, and fears of being marginalised in great power deals have stirred unease in the Philippines as US President Donald Trump’s policy takes form. The opening salvo of the second Trump term has sent jitters through Manila, which stands on the front line of regional flashpoints and evolving supply chains. The plight of undocumented immigrants, continuity for pledged projects, and a clear economic game plan to compete with China will be key issues on Manila’s radar. Shipbuilding, semiconductors, critical minerals, LNG, and defense industry collaboration are areas the two allies can work together. Pathways Fellow Lucio Pitlo III shares his view in this SCMP piece.

04/02/2025

Pathways Fellow Lucio Pitlo III took part in the RSIS Conference on Regional Maritime Security Outlook 2025 held last January 22-23, 2025 at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore. He shared his views on the panel on Conflict Contingencies Across the Taiwan Straits. Thank you to RSIS Maritime Security Program for the kind invitation and the great arrangements.

28/11/2024

Sad to see the open rift between the Philippines’ top two leaders which may affect their ability to steer the country amid domestic and external challenges. Economic managers have to do more to reassure investors that the noise does not undermine the country’s fundamentals. The heated exchange exposes the fragility of political alliances formed during elections. The unfolding drama also expose the dominance of political families and the lack of institutional political parties in Asia’s first constitutional democracy. That the feud comes just two years into President Marcos’ 6-year term bode stormy times ahead for his government. This may also affect Vice President Duterte’s bid to succeed him. Pathways Research Fellow Lucio B. Pitlo III shares his views with Indonesia's SEA Today.

25/11/2024

Public-private partnership allows governments and businesses to work together in securing submarine cables, where over 95% of internet traffic flows. States can have a stake in an infrastructure crucial to their security and prosperity. Aside from telco and tech companies, private funds can be tapped to finance cable construction and operation. Integration or partnerships between cable producers, layers and shipyards can build local capacity to quickly repair cuts and restore interrupted service. PPPs can be extended to a regional level. Research Fellow Lucio B. Pitlo III co-authored this joint piece with National Taiwan Ocean University Professor Ya-chi Chiang.

Public-private partnerships are essential to ensuring the security of undersea cables against attacks, data theft and espionage.

19/11/2024

US-China competition, especially under a potentially volatile second Trump administration, adds a dangerous layer in boiling flashpoints in the Philippines’ north (Taiwan Strait) and west (South China Sea). The deepening of PH-US alliance, expanded US military access, missile deployment, and warming up to security minilaterals and a Taiwan contingency comes as sea and air clashes become more frequent and violent and PH-China relations wane. Research Fellow Lucio Blanco Pitlo III joined other distinguished authors in this Italian language volume of Limes, the Italian Review of Geopolitics, aptly titled “Lords of the Oceans” (in English). It covers maritime issues and hotspots from the Indo-Pacific to the Mediterranean.

La copertina, il sommario e la presentazione del numero 10/24 di Limes.

18/11/2024

Research Fellow Lucio Blanco Pitlo III gave a presentation on "Minilaterals and their impact to the security order in the Indo-Pacific" in this seminar on "Towards a Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Prospects and Challenges" organized by the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies with support from the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia last October 17 at Fairfield by Marriott in Phnom Penh. https://camcrs.org/foip-seminar-recap-session-2-the-future-of-security-multilateralism-and-rules-based-order-in-the-indo-pacific/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0URhZZZSVew9ik0K6fXOl4Egg-Ec8p31ti2kigpfrzw-4o8xTkXX4n7dg_aem_A8kZzfNC6xoYoYD-fGWEOg

[FOIP Seminar Recap] Session 2: The future of security multilateralism and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific October 22, 2024 CCRS organized a regional seminar on “Towards Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Prospects and Challenges” on 17 October 2024. In the second session, there was a panel discu...

12/11/2024