Team Ceritalah is sitting with 26-year-old Teerapon Thetkerd. There is an air of anxiety – of uneasiness – as the city, not to mention the rest of the country, waits for its next General Election. After four years of military rule, Thais are ready for a return to democracy. Earlier this year, in March, 30 parties submitted their registration papers, including the newly founded Future Forward Party.

President Trump is a game-changer and in so many ways. Whilst Southeast Asia rarely features on his agenda, the Trump-initiated ‘Trade War’ could well end up re-setting global manufacturing and the all-important supply chains as exporters seek to lessen their exposure to China. For ASEAN’s three giants – Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam – each with over 90 million in population this could be a major opportunity. Essentially, each of the three is vying to attract industrial investment and the attendant employment. To date, Vietnam has been the most successful.

On the 11th August, Zildjien Eligado’s house in Marikina City’s Tumana Barangay (or district) was flooded when the tropical storm, Karding, hit Metro Manila. Over 14,000 Marikina residents were forced to leave their homes as winds reached over 90kms per hour and the city’s river rose by over 17 meters.