Singapore: Silent Onlooker No More?
Issue 18 — Key Developments Across the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam
Editor’s Note
by Karen Ysabelle R. David, Lead Editor - Pacific Corridor Desk
In this week’s issue, we are once again reminded of the diversity of Southeast Asia as we see each country in the Pacific Corridor facing challenges uniquely their own, leaving us with more questions than answers.
In Singapore, a recent statement from its Minister for Foreign Affairs conditionally recognizing Palestinian statehood has caused confusion. Ground-up initiatives led by Singaporeans to help Palestinians nevertheless clash with their own government’s indecisiveness. Will the country manage to live up to the vow of an Acting Minister-in-charge to not be “silent onlookers?”
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s ambition to transition to a high-income economy is met with a frustrating reality: a lack of skilled professionals to power the shift. Still, Hanoi’s regulatory reforms show creativity and a willingness to innovate that may well give it an edge in attracting world-class talent vis-à-vis the rest of Southeast Asia.
Finally, the Philippines is once again faced with a natural disaster, following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Northern Cebu just last week. In such a disaster-prone country, climate anxiety is a very real concern, shaping even migration patterns. The question now is: with the Philippines as an example, can ASEAN formulate climate-resilient migration policies that take climate anxiety into account?
Singapore 🇸🇬
Understanding Singapore’s Conditional Recognition of Palestine
by Nurul Aini, in Singapore
On 22 September 2025, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, released a Ministerial Statement on the recognition of Palestinian statehood. In response, many Singaporeans have voiced their confusion, mainly through digital platforms. Singapore’s stance involves two conditions: 1) that Palestine has an effective government that accepts Israel’s right to exist; and 2) that this effective government categorically renounces terrorism.
At first glance, Singapore’s first precondition raises concerns of circularity: tying the recognition of statehood with the establishment of an “effective government” in a catastrophic situation while Israel forcefully displaces Palestinians and bombs and blocks humanitarian aid. This consequently prevents Palestinians from exercising their democratic right to determine their own political future. Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu outrightly rejected a Palestinian state. This serves as a threat to Palestinians’ right to self-determination—a right backed by the United Nations General Assembly and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—and the two-state solution, both consistently supported by Singapore. Here, Singapore risks setting conditions within an unattainable climate, with its delayed recognition weakening the full symbolic and political legitimacy of a Palestinian state.
Nevertheless, Singapore’s involvement in capacity-building can be understood as part of a foreign policy sequencing strategy that indirectly lays the institutional groundwork for Palestinian statehood while minimizing diplomatic risk. Currently, 800 Palestinian officials have benefited from the Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (Etap), with two more initiatives in 2026 that will support the training of civilian officers and community policing programs. Meanwhile, there will be targeted sanctions on right-wing settler groups involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, although details have yet to be announced. The Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, has promised that Singapore will not “be silent onlookers to the tragedy in Gaza.” Despite these, Singapore’s surprisingly quick endorsement of Trump’s 20-point peace proposal for Gaza remains questionable.
Ground-up initiatives with government support includes the conferment of a scholarship to four Palestinian students to study in local universities under the Palestinian Scholarship Initiative, with plans underway to increase scholarships. Furthermore, the Singapore Armed Forces, alongside other foreign forces, airdropped humanitarian aid in Gaza with other aid distributed through partner countries like Jordan and Egypt. Singapore is also set to distribute the tenth tranche while nurses and medical specialists are deployed to Egypt to treat Palestinian evacuees. A social activist, Gilbert Goh, built two Singaporean clinics in Gaza while actively rallying Singaporeans to the cause through donations. Meanwhile, some Singaporeans on the ground partake in “digital resistance,” amplifying and educating about the Palestinian issue.
All in all, an immediate or conditional recognition signals that a Palestinian state must eventually be established. Yet, both must be questioned for their effectiveness; declaration without a reasonable pragmatic response remains confined to the symbolic realm, while a delayed recognition should be followed by concrete actions involving Palestinians themselves. Simultaneously, the citizens in ASEAN nations should complement one another’s activism, living up to the notion of “solidarity.” In our justifiable anger against injustice, we should not allow rage to overpower the necessity of understanding one another’s contexts and perspectives.
Aini is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English literature at Nanyang Technological University. She has experience working in youth groups, contributing to the planning and management of outreach activities.
Vietnam 🇻🇳
Rolling out the Red Carpet
by Tri Vo, in Ho Chi Minh City
In an ambitious push to transition from a low-cost manufacturing hub to a high-tech, innovation-driven economy to become a high-income nation by 2045, Vietnam is confronting a critical hurdle: a shortage of skilled labor able to tackle the requirements of so complex an evolution. Recognizing that attracting foreign direct investment in such fields is only one part of the process, the government has launched significant policy initiatives by rolling out a series of reforms meant to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that has long frustrated foreign investors, especially in attracting and retaining talents suitable for maintaining and growing the sort of economy Vietnam strives to become.
The challenge is pressing, given that 46% of Vietnamese businesses have difficulty in obtaining talents with the appropriate skillsets, notably in the vital digital technology field, which has a deficit of 200,000 professionals. This skills gap poses a direct threat to the country’s aspirations to ascend in the value chain into sophisticated industries like semiconductors and renewable energy. For years, complex administrative procedures have been the main deterrent, particularly for new investors without established local networks.
In response, Hanoi has enacted a series of regulatory reforms, the most pivotal of which took effect on 19 September 2025, with the introduction of Decree No. 249/2025/ND-CP, instituting a clear and attractive pathway for integrating top-tier foreign talent into Vietnam’s social fabric. The policy is aimed at attracting top experts in science, technology, and digital transformation by offering a range of appealing incentives. These include financial stipends for living expenses, allowances for housing and transportation, state funding for overseas study trips, and the opportunity to fast-track the process of obtaining Vietnamese citizenship. The decree specifically courts individuals with proven track records, such as those holding doctorates from top-200 universities or who are authors of patented inventions.
This initiative builds upon earlier reforms from August 2025, which streamlined the work permit process for foreign employees and extended visa-free temporary stay for citizens of 13 key partner nations from 15 to 45 days, easing access into Vietnam for business travelers.
These very measures are more than a series of stop-gap administrative tweaks; rather, they represent an extensive overhaul of Vietnam’s approach to human capital as policymakers are signaling a crucial recognition that, in the next rung of economic development, the country’s “software,” its administrative/institutional efficiency to facilitate the ease of doing business, is just as vital as its “hardware” of ports, roads, and industrial zones.
Vietnam’s talent attraction policy possesses significance beyond its national borders, as neighboring ASEAN economies also aspire to escape the middle-income trap and climb the global value chain; they face similarly fierce competition for a finite repository of world-class talent. Vietnam’s proactive and targeted approach offers a case in point in how to move beyond mere ease in obtaining work visas to creating a policy ecosystem specifically designed for high-value human capital. Vietnam’s comprehensive package of direct financial support, residency pathways, and streamlined administrative processes offers important policy experience on how to differentiate in the race to attract the best and brightest the world has to offer.
Tri has experience in management consulting and strategy, having worked with institutions such as the UNDP, The Asia Group, and ARC Group. He has provided strategic, legal, and operational insights to clients in sectors including manufacturing, energy, and technology. He holds both academic and professional experience related to Southeast and East Asia, with a focus on regional development and policy.
The Philippines 🇵🇭
How Climate Anxiety Fuels Migration in the Philippines
by Arianne De Guzman, in Bulacan
This October, as the Philippines marks National Mental Health Month, the country continues to face relentless natural disasters and deepening psychological fallout.
Recently, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake tore through Northern Cebu, killing 72 people, displacing more than 20,000 individuals, and damaging at least PHP3 billion worth of infrastructure. In the aftermath, the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) Cebu Chapter and a psychosocial team deployed by the Department of Health (DOH) have provided free psychosocial support to affected communities in Cebu, noting the importance of mental health services alongside physical recovery.
While some local government units (LGUs) focus on renovating collapsed buildings, various health agencies and organizations are now turning their attention to how natural disasters induce climate anxiety. A recent global survey found that 74% of Filipino youth are experiencing severe climate anxiety, which is higher compared to the 10 other countries surveyed.
Interestingly, the impact of climate anxiety also shapes migration activities, a phenomenon often referred to as geopsychiatry. Climate anxiety—seen as a psychological response to climate change threats—prompts families to relocate from disaster-prone areas in search of both physical and psychological relief. For many, migration is considered both an adaptation strategy and a common livelihood strategy.
The latest report indicates that around 8.966 million Filipinos are displaced due to disasters, which is the third highest jump in the world, compared to Afghanistan at 1.3 million and Chad at 1.2 million. As a result, cities such as Manila and Davao experience an influx of migrants following the typhoon season due to their urban infrastructure, healthcare, and other social services.
This proves that natural disasters in the Philippines affect mental health and drive migration—a challenge that can also extend beyond national borders.
Regionally, ASEAN has the highest rates of internal and pre-emptive movements, as well as disaster displacements. Despite this issue, ASEAN is falling behind in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on climate action (SDG 13) by 2030. Furthermore, the ASEAN Migration Outlook examines the integration of climate change into migration planning and calls for climate-resilient migration policies; however, the impact of climate anxiety or the mental health consequences of disasters remains unaddressed.
ASEAN must consider an intersectional and multi-sectoral strategy that focuses on disaster preparedness, mental health, and migration planning rather than tackling each issue in isolation.
Arianne has worked in legal research at the Philippines Department of Justice and in policy research at De La Salle University’s Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance, supporting projects on systemic reform. She holds a degree in Political Science from Colegio de San Juan de Letran and is pursuing a master’s in Sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. She is also involved in youth development and grassroots advocacy through the Rotaract Club of Santa Maria.
Editorial Deadline 07/10/2025 11:59 PM (UTC +8)
