Rappler’s Bea Cupin selected for 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue Young Leaders’ Programme

MANILA, Philippines — Rappler senior reporter Bea Cupin has been selected to participate in the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue Young Leaders’ Programme.

The program is an “integral part” of the dialogue, widely considered the premiere defense and security conference in the region. As part of the programme, Cupin will participate as a full delegate to the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue and in additional seminars and workshops with fellow young leaders.

The Shangri-La Dialogue takes place in Singapore from May 29 to 31, 2026.

Also selected as a part of the program is University of the Philippines Department of Political Science assistant professor Aletheia Kerygma B. Valenciano.

Valenciano is a doctoral student at Griffith University’s School of Government and International Relations. Her current research is on elite perceptions of threats, existing security alliances, societal coalitions, and public opinion filter system-level pressures to produce variation in the Philippines’ South China Sea policy.

This year, Tô Lâm, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, is set to deliver the keynote address.

The annual dialogue is where top defense and security brass — from defense ministers, military chiefs, to senior defense officials, as well as business leaders and security experts meet from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America to discuss security challenges in the region and beyond.

“This year’s Dialogue takes place against a backdrop of ever-greater focus on Asia-Pacific security. We expect to attract strong participation from defence ministers, national security advisers, military leaders and senior defence officials from more than 40 countries,” according to IISS.

The United States and Israel’s war on Iran, the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and its effects on the supply and price of oil globally, are also anticipated to be major topics in Singapore. Asia, which gets petroleum and crude oil from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz, is among those worst affected by the crisis.

US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth is expected to speak during the three-day conference.

In recent years, keynote speakers for the dialogue include French President Emmanuel Macron, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Some 550 delegates from the defense and security establishments of more than 40 nations around the world are expected to converge in Singapore for the dialogue. – Rappler.com

Rappler’s Bea Cupin selected for 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue Young Leaders’ Programme