아세안

The Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. administration has deepened and expanded the Philippines’ diplomatic frontier, which resulted in a de facto Indo-Pacific strategy resonating well with its treaty ally and like-minded countries. President Marcos was not a single actor dominating the strategy making; in fact, the Philippine government, especially the policymakers at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of National Defense as well as the frontline officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard have accumulated their efforts in the forms of policy documents, new institutions, and various actions to bolster the rules-based international order with a credible defense capability. This article further argues that the Republic of the Philippines’ de facto Indo-Pacific strategy may reflect emerging aspirations to become a middle power that is not a bystander but a proactive player in the world.