Retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio says the Philippine government should accept Vietnam and Malaysia’s invitation to take China to an arbitral court on their territorial disputes.

Source

US-funded Rappler:

[OPINION] Ayungin and why PH should respond as one team, one nation (archived):

This crisis should be turned into an opportunity.

We have postponed the replacement of the BRP Sierra Madre for years, for fear of escalating tension at Ayungin Shoal. Now is the time to either construct a concrete facility or deploy a self-propelled oil platform inside the shoal as a permanent station for our troops; which should be far superior in terms of habitability, self-defense, and supportability. If completed, some of the Navy’s missile boats can be redeployed to secure the shoal, instead of languishing in Mindanao and conducting anti-smuggling operations.” – Retired Rear Admiral Rommel Jude Ong.

One thing that I’ve noticed about these pundits being quoted in the PH media, is that all of them have ties to the Stratbase Group, which includes the Stratbase ADR Institute and BowerGroupAsia.  Both the Stratbase ADR Institute and BowerGroupAsia have connections to Ray Powell and the U.S. government. 

Stratbase received $20,000 for 2022-2023 from the U.S. Department of State for roundtable discussions related to ‘security challenges’ in the Indo-Pacific. In 2024, Stratbase received $14,216 for ‘public diplomacy’. BowerGroupAsia received a Paycheck Protection Program loan (face value) of $565,100.00; all of which was forgiven.

[2023] ADRi Event: “Countering Gray Zone Operations in the Maritime Indo-Pacific”:

In line with this, the Stratbase ADR Institute believes it is critical to discuss and analyze the threat of gray zone operations and their implications for the current regional security landscape, as well as potential countermeasures. The Institute, in partnership with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines, organized a hybrid town hall discussion entitled, “Countering Gray Zone Operations in the Maritime Indo-Pacific”, on 8 March 2023, Wednesday, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PHT).

In attendance: Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard Spokesman, Raymond Powell, Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation (Project Myoushu), Stanford University, Renato de Castro, Stratbase ADR Institute, Rommel Jude Ong, Jay Batongbacal, Victor Andres Manhit, Stratbase ADR Institute, BowerGroupAsia, De La Salle University

Wikipedia:

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (German: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). … It is a member of the Martens Centre, the official foundation and think tank of the European People’s Party (EPP).

SourceWatch:

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is a German Christian Democrat (CDU) party affiliated, state-funded, foundation that seeks to influence political outcomes in lesser developed world by influencing political parties or moulding civil society. KAS is similar organization to the multiple political manipulation organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy (in the US), Westminster Foundation for Democracy (in the UK), Friedrich Naumann Foundation (also in Germany); Canada, the Netherlands, France… all have similar organizations. Organizations like KAS or NED attempt to influence political outcomes in countries where they might have economic or political interests. All these groups aim to foster civic groups and political parties in lesser developed countries that play along with the Western favored model of neoliberalism (in politics and economics).

NED et. al.: The CIA’s Successors and Collaborators (archived):

The battle of ideas

In 1975 the CIA was investigated by the Senate, particularly its involvement in plots against political leaders throughout the world, including Patrice Lumumba, Allende and Fidel Castro. The success of revolutionary movements in Africa and Latin America forced the US to recognise that although the strategy of infiltrating social organisations remained crucial, the tactics were counter-productive. So, “to wage the battle of ideas, the Johnson administration recommended the establishment of a public-private mechanism to fund overseas activities openly” (3).

The American Political Foundation (APF), established in 1979, was a coalition of the Democratic and Republican parties, union leaders and employers, conservative academics and institutions relating to foreign policy. It was based on a model developed in West Germany, where the four major political parties had set up government-funded foundations as a response to the cold war. The most important of these was the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, linked to the Christian Democratic Union (4).

In January 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed the secret directive NSDD-77 (5), the result of what he described in a speech to the British parliament as a process designed “to foster the infrastructure of democracy” and “to determine how the United States can best contribute… to the global campaign for democracy” (6). The directive called for “close collaboration with foreign policy efforts – diplomatic, economic, military – as well as a close relationship with sectors of the American society – labour, business, universities, philanthropy, political parties, press.”

Reagan kept quiet about the directive when he presented an APF proposal, the Democracy Programme, to Congress. An act of 23 November 1983 ratified the creation of the NED. At a ceremony at the White House in December he announced: “This programme will not be hidden in shadows. It’ll stand proudly in the spotlight. And, of course, it will be consistent with our own national interests” (7).

[2024] Embassy of Japan and Stratbase ADR Institute Host Maritime Diplomacy Symposium on BBNJ Agreement:

On 08 February 2024, the Embassy of Japan, in partnership with Stratbase ADR Institute, hosted a thought-provoking roundtable discussion titled “The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and its Implications on the South China Sea” at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City, unraveling the complexities of international maritime law, with a particular focus on the BBNJ Agreement and its impact on the dynamic region.

In attendance: Antonio Carpio, Retired Supreme Court Justice, Victor Andres Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute

More information:

Victor Andres Manhit is president of the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (Albert del Rosario represented the Philippines at Permanent Court of Arbitration for the South China Sea Arbitration), an ‘independent’ international and strategic research organization focused on issues of importance to the Philippines and East Asia. He holds the position of managing director of the Stratbase Group, an advisory and research consultancy firm. He’s affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), headed by Gregory B. Poling, inspired Ray Powell‘s information operation Project Myoushu, now called SeaLight, at Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. Stanford University receives funding from the U.S. government. CSIS also receives funding from various governments and corporations.

The creation of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, an organization within the Department of Navy. Ray Powell’s SeaLight began at Stanford’s GKC.

SeaLight podcast:

Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific? Podcast (Apple Podcasts) with Ray Powell and Jim Carouso. 

Powell and Carouso worked together at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia. They’re trying to “shape” the Indo-Pacific for US corporate interests and to provoke a war with China.  

Jim Carouso is with the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Carouso is also with BowerGroupAsia in Singapore. He formerly worked in the State Department and was a chargé d’ affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra and the U.S. Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Ray Powell was formerly a Defense Attaché in Canberra, Australia.

The Defense Attaché System is part of the Defense Intelligence Agency.