CALLS for the Philippines to urgently recalibrate its education system and economic strategy intensified during a policy forum in Manila, with experts warning that the country risks being left behind amid rapid technological shifts and a changing global order shaped by China’s rise.
At the center of the discussion was the think tank Asian Century Philippine Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI), which convened analysts and academics to examine the implications of China’s recently concluded Two Sessions and its 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 to 2030.
Speaking via Zoom, Henry Chan, distinguished visiting fellow at the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies, emphasized that while China’s ambitious development blueprint presents opportunities for regional partners, the Philippines lacks the human capital to seize what our neighbor can offer.
“If you look at the skill set required, it’s not just [the] so-called small artisan type of technology you need, which is unfortunately our orientation,” Chan said. “I think now we have to reassess the whole thing.”
The Singapore-based academic pointed to the Philippines’ poor performance in the Program for International Student Assessment, where 15-year-old Filipino students ranked near the bottom among 71 countries in 2018 and posted similarly dismal scores in the latest 2022 assessment.
“That means before Grade 9, anyone who has a good foundation in the level can choose what he wants to study in Grades 10 to 12 and the subsequent university,” Chan said. “It’s very sad to know that we are second to the bottom.”
The warning comes as China’s 15th Five-Year Plan prioritizes “new quality productive forces” driven by technological innovation, including artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
Chan noted that China has committed to increasing research and development spending by at least 7 percent annually over the next five years, positioning itself among the world’s top five R&D spenders.
But the academic delivered a sobering assessment of one of the Philippines’ main economic pillars.
“There’s a very serious danger lurking,” Chan said. “Our two biggest foreign exchange earners are remittance and BPO (business process outsourcing). And now, whether you like it or not, some activities in the BPO are under threat with these large language models.”
Chan recommended that the Philippines look to successful models in Germany and China, focusing on physical science education, where productivity gains are most significant.
“Put more focus on physical science education because that is where you will have a huge productivity gain,” he said, adding that students sent overseas for exchange programs in China could become “very receptive partners of Chinese industry migrating overseas.”
The forum was held amid discussions on how the Philippines can benefit from China’s economic plans, with participants noting that the country has fallen behind regional peers, including Vietnam, in attracting Chinese investment and technology partnerships.
“If we want to learn, to improve our upskilling, first look for good students,” Chan said. “And after good students, can we look for what we want them to study?”
The forum also situated these domestic concerns within a wider geopolitical and economic transition, as analysts pointed to the emergence of a multipolar world order.
In a presentation, ACPSSI President Herman Tiu Laurel argued that global power dynamics are shifting away from centuries of Western dominance toward a more diversified system led by major players, including China, Russia and other developing economies.
Tiu Laurel said these changes are already reshaping economic alliances and could redefine trade, finance and development pathways in the coming decades.
He warned that the Philippines risks being caught between competing global blocs, particularly after policy decisions in recent years that aligned the country more closely with the United States while straining ties with China and other emerging powers.
According to Tiu Laurel, these moves have coincided with mounting economic pressures, including rising debt, supply constraints in fuel and fertilizer, and missed opportunities for infrastructure and investment cooperation.
He argued that countries such as Vietnam have surged ahead by maintaining stronger economic engagement with China, attracting investments and integrating into regional supply chains.