Left to right: Ms. Ma. Theresa Alders, Director, Pacific Division, Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs; Hon. Nathaniel Imperial, Assistant Secretary, Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs; Ms. Susannah Patton, Director, Southeast Asia Program, Lowy Institute; Hon. Richard Sisson, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Australian Embassy in the Philippines; and Dr. Marichu Liwanag, Head, Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy, Foreign Service Institute
09 August 2022, DFA—The Philippines was deemed a middle power in Asia, ranking 16th in overall comprehensive power out of 26 countries and territories included in the Index, according to the briefing on the key findings of the Asia Power Index 2021. Other middle powers identified were Japan, India, Australia and Indonesia. The Philippines’ positive “power gap”- or how well the country converts its resources into influence in Asia -improved in the same year. It also ranked first in 2022 on the “alliance force multiplier” among 10 other countries including Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States due to its strong military alliances particularly with the US.
(credit: Department of Foreign Affairs)