Government Corruption

Economic Security Zones strategy and Philippines industrial capacity

The article argues that the Philippines' proposed Economic Security Zones in Clark and Subic, while marketed as economic growth engines, are actually strategic military assets that position the country as a logistics hub in great power competition without adequate compensation for the risks involved. The author warns that the Philippines risks becoming a resource supplier and service corridor in others' supply chains rather than building domestic industrial capacity, and calls for deliberate policies to capture higher-value manufacturing, technology transfer, and maintenance/repair capabilities.