Infrastructure inadequacies not only slow down productivity but also contribute to inequality.
òòò½´«Ã½ Senior Research Fellow Dr. Adoracion M. Navarro highlighted this at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)'s Manila Strategy Forum 2025 held on September 9 in Manila City, where she served as a panelist in the discussion on “Building 21st Century Infrastructure.”
According to Dr. Navarro, addressing these gaps will reduce exclusion, marginalization, and resentment. Thus, any PH-US cooperation in infrastructure must not only consider US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific but also the needs of and the impacts on the Filipino people. Key areas for collaboration include:
1. Logistics & industrial corridors (Luzon Economic Corridor as anchor)
2. Power & grid infrastructure
3. Digital & data infrastructure
4. Semiconductors
5. Critical minerals & batteries
6. Water & industrial utilities
7. Construction inputs & advanced manufacturing
The inaugural Manila Strategy Forum, a flagship of CSIS’ U.S.-Philippines Initiative, convenes leading experts from both countries to explore cooperation on defense, infrastructure, and emerging technology amid the shifting international order.
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