The Pacific Corridor
Issue 9
Editor’s Note
by Danica Jane Guieb, Lead Editor - Pacific Corridor Desk
Southeast Asia’s policy landscape is shifting, measured not in declarations but in legal interpretations, capital flows, and diplomatic positioning.
In the Philippines, Eduardo Fajermo Jr. examines a Supreme Court ruling that effectively blocks Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment. The decision, while procedurally grounded, raises larger questions around constitutional safeguards and political consolidation—issues likely to shape Manila’s institutional climate ahead of the 2028 elections.
Singapore, as Ryan reports, has reinforced its status as a regional innovation hub. With its recent fourth-place ranking in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, the city-state continues to leverage regulatory efficiency and international linkages to attract early-stage capital and talent. The challenge, however, lies in sustaining momentum within a limited domestic market and rising global competition for tech investment.
Hang Nguyen’s piece on Vietnam turns to diplomacy. As Hanoi marks three decades of ASEAN membership, it is doubling down on multilateralism—most notably with plans to host APEC 2027. In an increasingly multipolar region, Vietnam’s outreach signals a calibrated effort to expand its geopolitical relevance without overextending strategic commitments.
Across these stories, a common thread emerges: ASEAN member states are not retreating from complexity, but adapting through law, market positioning, and regional alignment. The region’s trajectory may be uneven, but the direction is unmistakably forward.
The Philippines 🇵🇭
The Duterte Impeachment Ruling and the Challenge of Political Accountability in the Philippines and ASEAN
by Eduardo G. Fajermo Jr., in Angeles City
On July 25, 2025, the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines declared the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional. The ruling is grounded in the provision of the 1987 Philippine Constitution’s “one-year bar,” which prohibits multiple impeachment proceedings against the same official within 12 months. The decision came after the Court determined that a prior impeachment complaint, filed in December 2024, triggered this constitutional protection.
This legal action nullified the House of Representatives’ February 2025 vote: 215 in favor of transmitting impeachment charges to the Senate. The complaint laid out cases grounded on the alleged abuse of authority, misuse of confidential funds, and threats against local officials. Vice President Duterte denied all allegations, framing the process as a politically motivated attack.
Critics, including former SC Justice Antonio Carpio and Constitution framer Rene Sarmiento, emphasized that the Court’s reversal of its earlier interpretation of what constitutes the initiation of impeachment proceedings undermines transparency and could retroactively disadvantage proceedings carried out in good faith.
The Philippines, often lauded for its procedural democracy, now faces renewed scrutiny over how its legal mechanisms operate under political pressure. Some legal experts argue that constitutional safeguards, while intended to protect due process, can also be strategically exploited to delay or deflect legitimate scrutiny.
In Southeast Asia, legal rulings have increasingly shaped political outcomes. In Thailand, the Constitutional Court disqualified opposition leader Pita Limjaroenrat over media shareholding rules in what many saw as a technicality used to sideline electoral success. In contrast, Malaysia’s judiciary delivered a landmark ruling by convicting and jailing former Prime Minister Najib Razak in the 1MDB corruption scandal, demonstrating how courts can enforce accountability at the highest level.
Collectively, these cases reflect how courts are increasingly central to political battles across ASEAN, functioning as both instruments of justice and arenas of contestation. The implications extend beyond national borders. ASEAN member states have long pledged to uphold democratic principles through the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint and the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. Yet, these cases expose the widening gap between such regional commitments and institutional realities. As the Philippines nears pivotal midterm elections and the road to 2028 begins to take shape, the Duterte impeachment saga may influence legal precedent and political strategy alike. For ASEAN, the episode signals the urgent need to ensure that the rule of law is upheld not only in theory, but in practice, anchored in judicial independence, procedural integrity, and genuine accountability across the region.
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.
Singapore 🇸🇬
Why Singapore Ranks as the Fourth Leading Country for Startups
by Ryan
Based on StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index for 2025, Singapore is ranked as the fourth-best country for startups. This is a historic milestone as Singapore is the first country outside the US, UK, Israel and Canada to break into the Global Top 4.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore dominates the fundraising scene, capturing 68% of total deal funding in 2024. The ecosystem has over 4,500 startups, with notable companies such as Grab, Trax, Ninja Van, and Carro. Several of the world’s top venture capital firms, such as 500 Startups, Sequoia Capital, GGV Capital, and Eurazeo, also maintain offices in Singapore.
At the heart of Singapore’s success is a pro‑business regulatory framework that combines government support, strong intellectual property protection, political stability, and a firm judiciary. The city‑state’s openness to foreign direct investment and its network of numerous free trade agreements further reinforce its strength as a regional gateway.
From inception through scale, startups in Singapore benefit from the government’s unified Startup SG platform, which consolidates a wide range of support programs. These include grants for first‑time founders (Startup SG Founder), early‑stage deep‑tech commercialization (Startup SG Tech), equity co‑investment opportunities, and access to accelerator infrastructure through JTC Launchpads and incubator networks. Apart from these grants, businesses conducting R&D in Singapore are also eligible for multiple tax incentives.
Singapore also boasts a robust regulatory and digital foundation. Under the new World Bank Business Ready framework, it leads in regulatory quality and scores top marks for operational efficiency, consistently performing excellently in global business climate assessments. The country is also geographically well-connected to the rest of the world, with Changi Airport frequently recognized as the best airport in the world.
Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Singapore is significantly smaller in both land area and population, something often seen as a limiting factor for its market size. If you sold a product for $10 to everyone in Singapore, you would have around $60 million. But if you sold the same product for just $1 to everyone in Indonesia, you’d earn nearly $300 million. This illustrates why Singapore may be an ideal place to launch or base a company, but not necessarily to scale it. Many startups therefore choose to register holding companies in Singapore while conducting the majority of their operations elsewhere.
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.
Vietnam 🇻🇳
Vietnam’s Commitment to Regionalism and Multilateralism Reaffirmed on July 28th, 2025
by Hang Nguyen, in Ho Chi Minh City
July 28th signified Vietnam’s commitment to Southeast Asia as an integral part of the region’s economic and diplomatic development. On this day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the inauguration ceremony of the National Organizing Committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2027 held in Hanoi. At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son presided over the 30th anniversary of Vietnam’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as the bloc's 58th founding anniversary.
Reflecting on Vietnam’s membership in APEC, the Prime Minister celebrated regional efforts toward economic integration: “The event will contribute to concretizing APEC’s action programmes and vision, while further promoting its role as a driver of growth and economic integration in the region and the world. At the same time, it will reaffirm Vietnam’s position and stature on the international stage and strengthen its bilateral relations with member economies and partners,” he emphasized.
Since its inauguration in 1988, Vietnam has had the chance to succesfully host the multilateral forum twice, in 2006 and 2017. Hence, the country is well prepared to ensure the succesful coordination of all activities of APEC 2027. The international forum will be held in Phu Quoc of An Giang Province.
Vietnam’s economic trajectories continue to project substantial economic growth (7.1% in 2024 and 7.52% in the first half of 2025), with the government currently implementing target plans to achieve a full-year growth of 8.3-8.5%. The successful hosting of APEC 2027 is projected by analysts to bring many tangible benefits to the country and its business communities by boosting financial circulation. Economic engagement and regional trading systems have propelled Vietnam’s development, incentivizing greater alignment with the ASEAN community pillars.
The 30-year ASEAN membership commemoration event further highlighted Vietnam’s decision to join the bloc in 1995 and its contribution to ASEAN’s centrality through collaborative efforts such as the signing of the ASEAN Charter and the adoption of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future. The event was attended by ambassadors, representatives of international organizations, and government officials, underscoring the emphasis placed on regional diplomacy by the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP). Deputy Prime Minister Son reaffirmed ASEAN’s pivotal role in Vietnam’s regional and international integration, pledging continued commitment to multilateralism and peaceful cooperation.
Ambassador Dato’ Tan Yang Thai of Malaysia, Chair of ASEAN 2025, commended Vietnam’s role in the realization of the ASEAN-10 in 1999, a significant historical milestone that expanded the organization’s influence and strengthened regional unity. Professor Ruhanas Harun of the Department of International Relations at the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM) outlined two key considerations for Vietnam to further integrate into the region: the economic disparities among member states and the impact of external factors that hinder regional objectives.
Vietnam’s respective 30-year and 37-year engagement with ASEAN and APEC can be seen to underscore the country’s strong regional commitment, as well as its efforts to ensure peaceful and sustainable development.
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.
Editorial Deadline 05/08/2025 11:59 PM (UTC +8)
