Title:

 How aspiring Philippine leaders will handle international challenges

Author:

Julio S. Amador

Source:

Nikkei Asian Review

Date:

March 8, 2016

Description:

Foreign policy, while not usually an electoral issue in the Philippines, now looms large in the country's politics. All five aspiring candidates for the May 9 presidential election have stressed their determination to improve the country's international relations. There are some immediate challenges: forthcoming ruling in The Hague on the Philippines' territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea is likely to affect the foreign policy position of any presidential candidate. But regardless of the ruling -- to be made as early as May by the arbitral tribunal constituted by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague -- it is clear that all candidates will seek better ties with China.