Defense, diplomacy moves push Philippines up Asia power index

The Philippines rose a notch higher to 15th spot out of 27 countries for comprehensive power in the latest 2024 Asia Power Index by the Lowy Institute. 

The country received an overall score of 14.7 out of 100 as it maintained its “middle power” status in Asia. This is higher than the score of 12.8 out of 100 it got last year, when it ranked 16th out of 26. 

The Philippines’ strongest measure is defense networks, where it ranked 10th “reflecting the extent of its bilateral military cooperation with treaty ally the United States as well as cooperation with other security partners such as Japan.” 

Furthermore, the country's biggest improvement was in the aspect of diplomatic influence, which the index attributes to “positive appraisals of the Marcos administration’s more robust approach to handling China.” 

“Manila’s strategy of seeking closer ties with the United States, as well as a broader range of US-aligned partners outside ASEAN, resulted in an increase in its comprehensive power, driven in particular by its strengthened Diplomatic Influence,” the report said. 

The index also noted that the current administration held 34 more bilateral diplomatic dialogues in 2023 than the Duterte administration did in 2021. 

But the Philippines’ weakest measure is the area of resilience, ranking at 20th, as a result of “internal conflict legacies.” 

According to the Lowy Institute, Indonesia, which ranked 9th, and the Philippines are becoming more “influential.” 

Singapore, on the other hand, ranked the highest among the Southeast Asian countries at 8th spot.

The United States remained on top of the rankings, but experts judged that second placer China is “better able to deploy rapidly and for a sustained period in the event of an interstate conflict in Asia.” 

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea in Africa ranked at the bottom of the list with a score of 4.2 out of 100. 

The Asia Power Index is based on eight measures (economic capability, military capability, resilience, future resources, economic relationships, defense networks, diplomatic influence, and cultural influence), 30 thematic sub-measures, and 131 indicators. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BM, GMA Integrated News