Philippine military capability among weakest in Asia Pacific — report

MANILA, Philippines  — Among its Asia Pacific neighbors, the Philippines ranked low in terms of its military capability measure, according to the Asia Power Index released by foreign policy think tank Lowy Institute.

The index showed that the Philippines ranked 16 of 25 in overall power score, where different indicators such as military, economic, cultural, diplomatic and political power were measured.

"The Philippines' strongest performance is in future trends, ranking in place with a score of 4.0. Its lowest ranking occurs in the military capability measure, in 19th place with a score of 4.1," the report read.

The report noted that the Philippine Navy operates only one frigate and does not have destroyers, cruisers or carriers.

The United States remains the strongest military power in the region with a score of 94.6, followed by China with 69.9 and Russia with 61.4.

The Lowy Institute also reported that the Philippines has overtaken Australia in 11th place for economic size. The country's GDP is forecasted to grow by 110 percent between 2016 and 2030.

The Philippines also emerged as the fourth largest diaspora in the region after China, India and Bangladesh with an outward migrant population of 3 million.

The study also showed that China is the Philippines' largest trade partner with 25 percent of the country's regional trade.

The United States, meanwhile, is the Philippines' largest culture and defense partner. The report noted that the US has transferred about $261 million worth of arms to the Philippines.

In terms of the "power gap," the Philippines is an "overachiever." Lowy Institute defined power gap as "the difference between a country's overall power and what its power is expected to be given its available resources."

"The country wields more influence in Asia than would be expected from its resources, resulting in a positive Power Gap score of 1.4," the report said.

The Asia Power Index showed that despite China's ascendance, the US remains the most powerful region but not for long. Beijing is now leading Washington in diplomatic influence and economic relationships in the region.

"US diplomatic strength in Asia is surpassed by China and almost equaled by Japan, which could have implications for upcoming US-DPRK denuclearization talks," Lowy Institute said.

The index maps and ranks the power of 25 countries in Asia and the US as the major external power in the region. The map will be updated annually.