Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand 
why the old poets of China went so far
and high 
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

The UP Asian Center will host a forum-exhibit, “Philippine Foreign Relations under the Duterte Administration: Issues, Actors, Approaches,” on 11 December 2019, 1 pm–4 PM at the UP Asian Center, QC. The event is free and open to the public. Seating a first-come, first served basis. Walk ins are welcome, but participants are encouraged to sign up.

The presentations in the forum-exhibit will feature seven poster presentations on 11 December, 1 pm, which in turn will be available for viewing until 13 December 2019. The aim of the forum-exhibit is to evaluate different facets of Philippine foreign relations under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Click on each title to view the abstracts.

List of Poster Presentations

Norms vs Strategic Interests: How Drugs and Human Rights Issues Affect Philippines-Australia Security Ties
    Maria Alynna Carlos

Linking Aid with Norms: Philippines-EU Development Cooperation under the Duterte Administration
     Jillian Loise Melchor

The Role of Civil Society and Domestic Politics in Philippine Foreign Policy: The China-Funded Kaliwa Dam Project
     Reicele Alvarez

Job Haunt: Chinese Migration in the Philippines and its Implications on Local Employment
     Marianne Joy Castillo

The Role of Interest Groups in the Decision-Making Processes of the Philippine Government in the Case of POGOs
     Anna Patricia Ruiz

Golden Age of Infrastructure: Hedging Considerations for the Philippines between China's BRI and the United States' BUILD Act
     Johann Jose Manas

Climate Change in Foreign Policy: The Philippines in the Paris Agreement
     Justine Manaloto

Special Lecture

The Chinese Wave in the Philippines
     Aaron Jed Rabena, PhD

*Free snacks and beverages will be served during the conference.

The Organizers

The forum-exhibit is organized by the students of PS 279 Philippine Foreign Policy under Professor Aileen Baviera. For queries, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. View vicinity map.


The Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D.  program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded atthe journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.