Professional Woman, Part I
“I am 31, work full time, and have a daughter who’s ten years old,” she said. “I’m a typical Davao professional woman, I guess you could say.” Rosalie sat across the table from me in...
Category: Southeast Asia
Duterte Wins the Presidency
On the day after the election for president in the Philippines, three of the four losers in the race conceded defeat. The fourth, Jejomar Binay, needed two days to lick his wounds. Rodrigo Duterte...
China Populates the South China Sea
China is not only building commercial and military infrastructure on the disputed islands of the South China Sea. It is also trying to establish communities of Chinese residents there in a bid to strengthen...
The Philippines Challenges China in Court
A ruling in the case of the Philippines versus China is coming soon. The case lies at the heart of increased tensions in the South China Sea. President Xi Jinping and his communist-party colleagues...
Fishing in the South China Sea
Fishing is becoming increasingly dangerous in the South China Sea. In the past it was piracy that struck fear in the hearts of fishermen off the coasts of the Philippines and Vietnam. Today it’s...
Isla Verde, A Struggle to Survive
The flight on a Cebu Pacific airplane from Manila to Davao on the island of Mindanao took two hours. Inside the plane, all of the flight attendants were female and looked as if they...
Japan’s Military Ties with the Philippines
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) has joined a large US Navy force in the Philippines. The military build-up in the Southeast Asian nation of 100 million comes in response to recent moves by Chinese forces...
Foreign Investment in Vietnam
In Vietnam, the most direct route to modernization is tried and true: using other people’s money to build new factories and roads. Communist leaders are soliciting foreign direct investment (FDI) to transform the Southeast...
Repression in Vietnamese Politics
Vietnam’s communist leaders are intent on securing a free trade deal with the United States. They believe they can do so even if they choose to ignore US calls to provide their people with...
Indonesia Fights China’s Incursions
Tempers are flaring in Jakarta. Government leaders in Indonesia’s capital no longer are mediating their neighbors’ disputes with the Chinese government. Now they are lodging their own protests with their long-time diplomatic partners. In...