Marites Vitug

Dates of Residency: Nov. 7 - 11, 2022

Public Talk

The Return of the Marcoses: Will relations with the U.S. and China change?
Nov. 9, 2022 | Video

We joined Marites Vitug as she discussed maritime disputes in the South China Sea. The election of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – the son and namesake of the late dictator – completes the restoration of the Marcoses after they were removed from power in 1986 by a popular revolt. His presidency, which comes at a time of increased rivalry between the U.S. and China, will be tested in the contentious maritime dispute in the South China Sea. After former president Rodrigo Duterte's pivot to China, how Marcos will navigate this perilous terrain will be a defining moment in his presidency.

Biography

Marites Dañguilan Vitug, a leading Filipino investigative journalist and author, is editor-at-large for Rappler and chair emeritus of the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation. She was editor of Newsbreak magazine, a trailblazer in Philippine investigative journalism.

Her books include “Rock Solid: How the Philippines Won its Maritime Case against China;” “Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court,” which exposed critical weaknesses in the country’s highest court; “Power from the Forest: The Politics of Logging”; and “Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao” with Glenda M. Gloria.

Vitug was the host of a series of podcasts, “The Great Asian Pushback,” which featured personalities who shared their stories of defiance and hope in countries where democracy is under threat, produced by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats.

She sits on the advisory board of Analyzing War, a U.S.-based journal.

Vitug has a degree in A.B. Broadcast Communication from the University of the Philippines and a diploma in world politics from the London School of Economics. She was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University and an Asian Public Intellectual, a recipient of fellowships from the Australian National University, University of Kyoto and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo. She has won the National Book Award and various awards for reporting on Philippine justice, security and political affairs, including the Courage in Journalism Award from the U.S.-based International Women’s Media Foundation.