We’re halfway through spring and this, finally, is the first episode of the spring series. In the Philippines, there’s typhoons and floods and earthquakes and political protests. So to look at what’s happening in that country, we’re joined by journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia.
Erin produces the excellent newsletter Dari Mulut ke Mulut, an English-language summary of what’s happening in the region, and an occasional newsletter specifically on the Australia-Indonesia relationship, Flat White, Kopi Susu.
In this episode we talk about events in the Philippines and provide some background on its politics, both domestic and international. We preview the upcoming ASEAN Summit. And we ask whether fridge magnets are the new souvenir spoons.
There’s an update on Thai politics, and even a side-trip to talk about Myanmar.
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Episode Links
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Following Southeast Asia and Timor-Leste, mostly elections, FP and Instagram posts. Don't complain to me that I don't cover business enough, I do not know of such things.
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Erin Cook's newsletter covering South-East Asia, but in June 2025 it's moving to Substack.
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Erin Cook's newsletter covering South-East Asia, this being its new home from June 2025.
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Erin Cook's other newsletter, specifically about the Australia-Indonesia relationship.
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The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers.
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According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Philippines is the world’s main supplier of sea-based workers since 1987, making the country the manning capital of the world. Around 229,000 Filipino workers are on board merchant shipping vessels around the world at any given time. Overall, Filipino sea-based workers comprised more than 25 percent of 1.5 million mariners worldwide, thus becoming the single biggest nationality bloc in the shipping industry.
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Imelda Romualdez Marcos (locally [ɪˈmelda ɾoˈmwɐldɛs ˈmaɾkɔs]; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law in September 1972. She is the mother of current president Bongbong Marcos.
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The country known in English as Burma, or Myanmar, has undergone changes in both its official and popular names worldwide. The choice of names stems from the existence of two different names for the country in Burmese, which are used in different contexts.
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Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist.
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A History of the English-Speaking Peoples is a four-volume history of Britain and its former colonies and possessions throughout the world, written by Winston Churchill, covering the period from Caesar's invasions of Britain (55 BC) to the end of the Second Boer War (1902).
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The siege of Marawi (Filipino: Pagkubkob sa Marawi), also known as the Marawi crisis (Krisis sa Marawi) and the Battle of Marawi (Labanan sa Marawi), was a five-month-long armed conflict in Marawi, Philippines, that started on May 23, 2017, between Philippine government security forces against militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), including the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups. The battle also became the longest urban battle in the modern history of the Philippines.
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Rodrigo Roa Duterte KGCR (born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022... Duterte placed the Philippines' illegal drugs problem at the forefront of his presidential campaign, warning the Philippines was at risk of becoming a narco-state.... Some described the anti-drug campaign as a form of genocide against drug users, in part due to Duterte's early comparison of himself to Adolf Hitler.
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Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country is a 2023 book by journalist Patricia Evangelista, published by Random House. The book documents the thousands of Filipinos killed by extrajudicial death squads and vigilantes during the administration of the president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte.
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Rappler is the Philippines' leading digital media company that's driven by uncompromising journalism.
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Inspirational 2021 Nobel Peace Prize WINNER Maria Ressa's personal frontline manifesto in the war against authoritarianism's sinister uses of big tech.
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Wikipedia says: The Philippine Daily Inquirer, or simply the Inquirer, is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record.
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From Wikipedia: The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is an annual ranking of 180 countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since 2002 based upon the assessment of the non-governmental organization as well as surveys of professionals around the world, of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year.
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[27 September 2025] Ten people have been killed and 13 are missing after Tropical Storm Bualoi hit central Philippines. It follows super Typhoon Ragasa, which left 10 people dead in a country already angered by bogus flood-control projects.
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[1 October 2025] At least 69 people have been killed in the Philippines after buildings and walls of houses collapsed in a magnitude-6.9 earthquake. The quake, which struck the central Cebu province, injured many others and sent residents scrambling out of homes as the intense shaking cut off power, officials said.
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[10 October 2025] At least six dead from earthquakes which triggered tsunami warnings.
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The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes.
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[22 September 2025] Dozens of police officers injured as anger erupts over billions allegedly spent on bogus relief projects.
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[22 September 2025] Dozens of protesters have been arrested during violent clashes with police in the Philippine capital of Manila. Demonstrators took to the streets to protest against corruption after two senators were implicated in the misappropriation of government funding for flood control. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr says he respects the people’s freedom of expression but urges people to peacefully demonstrate.
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Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (UK: /ˈmɑːrkɒs/, US: /-koʊs, -kɔːs/, Tagalog: [ˈmaɾkɔs]; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child and only son of 10th president Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos.
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[14 August 2025] GMA Integrated News reporter Raffy Tima on Wednesday released an uncut footage of the collision incident between a ship from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and the China Coast Guard (CCG) at the Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea on August 11.
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[12 October 2025] The Philippines has accused China of “deliberately” ramming a Philippine government vessel and causing minor damage near an island in a disputed area of the South China Sea.
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26. Philippines looks to acquire South Korean anti-ship ballistic missile | South China Morning Post[15 October 2025] Manila seeks to buy CTM-ASBM, which was unveiled by Hanwha at the Asian Defence and Security exhibition last year.
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In this revelatory analysis, strategic expert Brendan Taylor examines the four Asian flashpoints that are most likely to erupt in sudden and violent conflict – the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
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Embedded journalism is the practice of attaching war correspondents to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the media coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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[5 October 2025] While the US presence serves as a deterrent, experts warn the Philippines risks becoming a target should tensions with China rise.
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If you want the best laksa in the world, go to Darwin [or so they claim].
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A souvenir spoon is a decorative spoon used as a memento of a place or to display as a 'trophy' of having been there.
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Anutin Charnvirakul (born 13 September 1966) is a Thai politician, businessman, and engineer who is the 32nd prime minister of Thailand since 2025.
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In September 2025, an agreement was made between the People's Party and Bhumjaithai Party to support Anutin Charnvirakul as Prime Minister. The agreement requires Anutin to dissolve the House within 4 months after the presentation of the government's policy platform, paving the way for an election in early 2026. In October 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Borwornsak Uwanno proposed 29 March 2026 as the next election's date and constitutional referendum.
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This article will explore the meaning, values, and social functions of this magical phrase, offering insight into how it captures the essence of Thai character and communication.
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[17 October 2025] Manufacturing and health sectors boost growth but ONS revises down figures for July.
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According to the secretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council in 2019, projections indicate the tourism sector will account for 30% of GDP by 2030, up from 20% in 2019, Thailand expects to receive 80 million visitors in 2027.
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[18 September 2025] In lawless regions of the Myanmar-Thai border, compounds run by Chinese criminal gangs contain thousands of people forced to scam strangers online or face brutal punishment. Thailand has become a key transit hub for trafficking victims, Reuters found.
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The ASEAN Summit is a biannual meeting held by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in relation to economic, political, security, and socio-cultural development of Southeast Asian countries. In addition, it serves as a prominent regional (Asia) and international (worldwide) conference, with world leaders attending its related summits and meetings to discuss various problems and global issues, strengthening co-operation, and making decisions.
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[23 October 2025] The high-profile presence of global leaders such as US President Donald Trump can elevate ASEAN’s visibility on the global stage, but this comes with the risk of overshadowing the bloc’s priorities, experts say.
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The monarchies of Malaysia exist in each of the nine Malay states under the constitutional monarchy system as practised in Malaysia... The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected by and among the nine rulers (excluding minors) every five years or when a vacancy arises (by death, resignation, or deposition by majority vote of the rulers). The Yang di-Pertuan Agong serves a maximum of five years, and may not be re-elected until after all the other states had taken their turns.
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Hun Sen (born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military officer who currently serves as the president of the Senate. He previously served as the prime minister of Cambodia from 1985 to 1993 and from 1998 to 2023. Hun Sen is the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia's history. He is the president of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which has governed Cambodia since 1979, and has served as a member of the Senate since 2024.
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CONVERSATION TOPICS: Two people who wish to remain anonymous.
THREE TRIGGER WORDS: Bernard Walsh, Esther Anatolitis, Garth Kidd, Joanna Forbes, Peter Viertel, Peter Wickins, and two people who choose to remain anonymous.
WE WILL, WE WILL JUDGE YOU, part of Another Untitled Music Podcast: Paul Williams, William Anthony.
ONE TRIGGER WORD: Ashley Walsh, Euan Troup, Frank Filippone, Hammy Goonan, Jim Campbell, Kym Yeap, Mark Newton, Michael, Michael Cowley, Mindy Johnson, Miriam Faye, Oliver Townshend, Peter Blakeley, Peter Lieverdink, Ric Hayman, Stephen Collins, Tom Carding, and two people who choose to remain anonymous.
PERSONALISED VIDEO MESSAGE: One person who chooses to remain anonymous.
RECOMMEND A SONG TO US, also part of Another Untitled Music Podcast: Kimberley Heitman, Paris Lord.
PERSONALISED AUDIO MESSAGE: One person who chooses to remain anonymous.
FOOT SOLDIERS FOR MEDIA FREEDOM who gave a SLIGHTLY LESS BASIC TIP: Craig Askings, Daniel O’Connor, deejbah, Gavin C, James Henstridge, Lindsay, Lucas James, Michael Rowe.
MEDIA FREEDOM CITIZENS who contributed a BASIC TIP: None this time again, which is curious.
And another 13 people who chose to have no reward at all, even though some of them were the most generous of all. Thank you all so much. You know who you are.
Series Credits
- The 9pm Edict theme by mansardian via The Freesound Project.
- Edict fanfare by neonaeon, via The Freesound Project.
- Elephant Stamp theme by Joshua Mehlman.