Tacloban's new tourism campaign is a coverup of five years of post-Yolanda devastation.
Nicole Curato is our Philippines editor
Bringing New Mandala readers fresh perspectives on the causes and consequences of populist rule in the Philippines.
Perspectives on the Past at New Mandala
Welcoming the University of Sydney's Southeast Asian history bloggers to New Mandala.
Perspectives on the Philippines
The highlights of PoP's two-month special series on the Philippines.
Hunting the Secrets of the Philippines
What makes the Philippines tick, and what's the one piece of art, object or artefact that could provide an answer?
Historical Perspectives on Philippine Contemporary Art
A historically-focussed review of the AGNSW's Passion + Procession: Art of the Philippines exhibition.
The Philippines’ Chinese FDI boom: more politics than geopolitics
A common logic—play nice with Beijing, get investment—doesn't fit the facts in the Philippines.
Terrorist arbitrage in Southeast Asia
Jihadists know how to take advantage of the unique space for mobilisation offered by the Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines triborder area. Governments are still catching up.
Five reasons why I don’t always like art galleries
A personally-confronting reflection on why, sometimes, art galleries don’t seem to work for the author.
Passion + Procession: Art of the Philippines
A mini-review of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' recent exhibition of Philippine art.
From datus to trapos: reading Philippine history in the OED
How an English dictionary documents different eras of linguistic exchange between Filipinos and their colonisers.
Steer clear of Duterte’s wars
Duterte’s violent response to local threats has reignited Mindanao’s conflicts. Regional allies should stand up to his government, not prop it up.
Marawi: returning to a destroyed city
Mishandling the return of civilian evacuees risks creating new pockets of sympathy for violent extremist groups.
Southeast Asian cyberspace: politics, censorship, polarisation
The internet is both a factor in, and a victim of, the region’s crisis of democracy.
Old dominance, new dominoes in Southeast Asia
Democracy in the region finds itself in dark days. Can anything save it?
Rebuilding Marawi, or rebuilding extremism?
Mounting Maranao frustration could cause further radicalisation after military operations end.
Winning the peace in Marawi
Extremism filled the credibility vacuum left by the Phillippine state in Marawi. Here’s what Manila can do to build a peace based on trust.
Rediscovering Rizal
The schooling system makes reading Jose Rizal a chore in the eyes of many young Filipinos. Vicente Rafael and Benedict Anderson's work on Rizal can help them to rediscover the power of his literature.
Marawi and beyond: a look at violent extremism
Preventing more Marawis means appreciating how failures of governance open pathways for radicalisation in Mindanao.
Marawi after the fighting stops
Securing military 'victory' against the Maute Group would only be the start of dealing with lingering grievances and mistrust that undermine peace-building.
Duterte’s exceptionalism and the pitfalls of military rule
The authoritarian president would have us believe military force can solve Mindanao’s problems. History shows how wrong he is.
Querying Martial Law in Mindanao
The security rationale for Duterte’s declaration of martial law may apply in Mindanao. But is it a test balloon for further authoritarian measures?
Lock them all up
New mass incarceration policies in both the Philippines and the US threaten to erode years of progress.