Shadows of Change
Issue 15 — Key Developments Across the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam
Editor’s Note
by Karen Ysabelle R. David, in Rizal, Philippines
In this week’s issue of the Pacific Corridor, we take a look at a region grappling with both the challenges of the future and the memories of its past.
In Vietnam, a data breach at the Vietnam Cybersecurity Emergency Response Center exposes the growing dangers of cyberattacks and cybercrime in the digital age, even as the country and the rest of ASEAN move towards increasing digitalization. Vietnam’s case serves as a cautionary tale and as a call for the region to strengthen cooperation on transnational cybercrime.
In Singapore, innovation and caution go hand in hand as the country begins public trials of autonomous vehicles later this year. Even at this early stage, the move shows great promise, and Singapore’s forward-thinking approach may well pave the way for the future of autonomous vehicles in the rest of Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, controversy surrounding flood control projects has revived memories and fears from the country’s Martial Law era. At the same time, the Filipino people’s response evokes the People Power Revolution—a turning point in Philippine history and a reminder that Southeast Asia is made up of people, not just governments.
Vietnam 🇻🇳
Cracks in the Firewall
by Hang Nguyen, in Ho Chi Minh City
On the morning of September 12th, the Vietnam Cybersecurity Emergency Response Center (VNCERT) received reports of a data breach at the state-managed National Credit Information Center of Vietnam (CIC). VNCERT, which maintains the credit profiles of millions of Vietnamese individuals and businesses, is the cornerstone of the country’s financial system. The increase in frequency, scale, and sophistication of such cybersecurity attacks highlights the evolving dangers in the contemporary digital age and underscores the urgent need for mitigation measures.
The Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, under the Ministry of Public Security, has directed VNCERT to coordinate collaborative investigations between CIC, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), and other cybersecurity firms–such as Viettel, VNPT, and NCS–to gather evidence and implement countermeasures. This case of unauthorized access indicates an attempt to steal personal data, sounding the alarm for all financial institutions and civilian users to be more vigilant toward financial fraud, online scams, and cybercrimes caused by data leakage. The Ministry of Public Security’s Department of Cybersecurity and Hi-Tech Crimes has identified the sophistication of cybercrimes and online scams as a rising threat to Vietnamese people and a long-term risk to economic stability and national security.
Digitalization is a prioritized national development goal, with visionaries anticipating economic and societal growth from optimized processes. However, as more activities are moving online–such as banking, shopping, and public services–swindlers have more opportunities to take advantage of users, especially vulnerable demographics such as children, the elderly, and the technologically illiterate. Digital advancements provide increasingly convincing and unprecedented methods of deception: phishing links, fraudulent websites posing as popular e-commerce platforms or delivery services, and even large-scale impersonation of police officers and government officials.
The repercussions extend beyond financial inconveniences. While monetary losses can range from VND100,000 (~US$5) to entire life savings, in more severe instances, individuals are lured into human trafficking networks. Specifically, swindlers target employment seekers with promising job offers and travel opportunities through convincing fraudulent facade websites, job postings, and human resources officers. The victims are often subjected to physical abuse and coerced into working for such malicious operations. This demonstrates how cybercrime is indiscriminate and poses a tangible threat to civilian well-being.
Cyberattacks do not stop at national borders. Cross-border crime operations further impede the state's ability to dismantle the scam operations, and regional collaboration presents a larger probability for success. This July, Cambodian officials conducted a crackdown on scam organizations, leading to the capture and deportation of 161 Vietnamese nationals working in an online scam ring. Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail emphasized that tackling online scams is a regional priority, a consensus reached by all members at the 19th ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC). Transnational cybercrime requires the cooperative efforts between member states in defense mechanisms, information sharing, and the capacity to effectively eradicate criminal operations across the region.
Hang is a young researcher with academic experience in Vietnam and the United States. She has previously worked in public relations at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the YSEALI Academy. Her research focuses on ASEAN centrality in the evolving Asia-Pacific landscape, with particular attention to Vietnam’s approach to trade, regional cooperation, and political economy in the face of external power dynamics and global volatility.
Singapore 🇸🇬
Singapore’s Driverless Test Run
by Ryan
In the fourth quarter of 2025, Singapore will begin public trials of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Punggol, shifting AVs from closed pilots to real-world, neighborhood mobility. Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow announced the move on 27 June 2025, signaling the government’s intent to weave driverless shuttles into first and last mile travel in housing estates rather than treat them as novelties. Early operations will be deliberately conservative: vehicles will run at “manageable” speeds with a safety officer onboard, and the trial builds on a yearlong shuttle service at Resorts World Sentosa that carries roughly 100 passengers a day on a 1.2-kilometer loop. The approach reflects Singapore’s risk-managed playbook—prove safety and reliability in bounded environments before scaling.
Singapore is routinely cited as the world’s priciest place to own a car, with 2025 bidding pushing Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums to SG$107,889 for mass-market cars (Category A) and SG$127,501 for larger cars (Category B). Julius Baer’s 2025 Global Wealth & Lifestyle report ranks Singapore as the most expensive city globally for the “car” category.
If AV fleets scale, Singapore could pivot from ownership to access. International Transport Forum (ITF) modeling suggests that shared, centrally dispatched AV “TaxiBots” working alongside high-capacity public transport can deliver today’s mobility with only about 10% of the current car fleet, freeing up street space presently devoted to parking. AV fleets, dispatched and routed in real time, can coordinate vehicle movements, match riders, and avoid choke points – benefits that arise when vehicles “see” the same network. The ITF’s simulations show that congestion outcomes hinge on system design: AV ride-sharing paired with strong public transport reduces peak-hour vehicles substantially, while AVs operating alone can raise total vehicle-kilometers traveled due to repositioning. Finally, emissions: even if total kilometers edge up, moving to shared electric AVs can eliminate tailpipe emissions and accelerate turnover to cleaner drivetrains. The same ITF report finds that a fully electric shared fleet would erase tank-to-wheel emissions and require only marginally more vehicles to accommodate charging downtime.
Across ASEAN, AVs remain in bounded shuttle pilots, such as in Indonesia’s BSD City, Thailand’s Ayutthaya, and Vietnam’s Phenikaa-X. Meanwhile, Chinese firms such as Baidu are eyeing Singapore and Malaysia. Trials are still limited and supervised, but the trajectory is moving towards fleet-based AVs that extend mass transit as policy frameworks mature. Despite the urban city trials in other parts of Southeast Asia, Singapore is ahead of its peers – it is the only market in the region with a fully driverless public bus approved to operate without an onboard safety officer, as observed in WeRide’s service at Resorts World Sentosa. With public AV trials in Punggol beginning in late 2025 and the Land Transport Authority planning autonomous buses from 2026, Singapore’s deployment pipeline and governance are measurably further along than neighboring pilots that remain small-scale and supervised.
Ryan is a final-year finance student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) with experience across venture capital, venture debt, and business development. He also holds a diploma in Law and Management from Temasek Polytechnic. His interests lie in how emerging technologies and economic trends shape business ecosystems and regional development in Asia.
The Philippines 🇵🇭
September Remembered
by Eduardo G. Fajermo Jr., in Angeles City
In 1972, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the Philippines under martial law, plunging the country into over a decade of authoritarian rule. More than half a century later, his son, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., governs a country once again at a crossroads. This time, however, it is not through emergency powers or military crackdowns, but through a flood control scandal that has become a lightning rod for public anger.
The so-called "Trillion Peso March” scheduled across the nation on 21 September 2025, marks more than just an anniversary. It is a citizen-led movement against a new wave of alleged corruption, cronyism, and state capture. The controversy began with revelations of ghost flood control projects and contractor favoritism, with only 15 of over 2,409 accredited firms cornering almost PHP100 billion in government contracts. The anger grew when netizens exposed the lavish lifestyles of the children of these contractors and political elites, dubbed “nepo babies” – many of whom flaunted luxury goods and international trips on social media.
Public frustration has spilled out into the streets. Civil society groups, students, journalists, and even celebrities have called out the brazen inequality. For many, the image of flood victims wading through waist-deep waters while political heirs pose in designer outfits captures a deep moral failure.
It is not just about ethics. The symbolism of September 21st stings even more when viewed through a historical lens. During martial law, critics were silenced, public funds were funneled into cronies’ pockets, and grand infrastructure projects masked human rights abuses. Now, under a second Marcos presidency, the flood control controversy has revived fears of déjà vu.
The protests taking place today, especially those in Luneta Park, where anti-dictatorship rallies once swelled, are acts of remembrance and resistance. Demonstrators are calling not only for transparency and accountability, but for historical clarity. In a country where disinformation campaigns have tried to whitewash the past, these actions serve as a powerful rebuttal.
This civic energy is worth paying attention to beyond Philippine shores. Across Southeast Asia, where strongmen and political dynasties often dominate, the Philippines is again showing that public dissent can shape national discourse. The memory of martial law is not fading quietly into textbooks. Instead, it is being invoked as a warning sign – one that today’s leaders, even if democratically elected, must heed. In the end, while the streets may flood and institutions may falter, the people’s collective memory and will to protest continue to rise. For now, democracy in the Philippines is still afloat.
Eduardo is a faculty member at Holy Angel University, where he teaches courses on Philippine history and contemporary global issues. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas, with a research focus on disaster governance, environmental politics, and the urban poor in the Philippines.
Editorial Deadline 16/09/2025 11:59 PM (UTC +8)
