Hongkongers have long regarded the Philippines with barely-concealed contempt. Decades of misrule stemming from the gross abuses of the Marcos Era have left the republic trailing badly at a time when “Asia Rising” was the dominant narrative. However, times have changed. The Philippines is no longer a basket case. The nice Filipino lady you meet on the plane is more likely to be a software designer on a weekend break rather than a domestic worker. The numbers reinforce the archipelagic nation’s surprise emergence, underlining a possible shift in ASEAN as both Vietnam and the Philippines, former laggards, display their mettle. According to the World Bank, from 2011 to last year, the Philippine...
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