Philippines 2^nd most fragile state in Southeast Asia

In the of the by , an American nonprofit institution, the Philippines improved by a notch to place 50th out of 179 countries. The index measured a state’s vulnerability to conflict or collapse that may manifest in various ways such as loss of physical control of territory; erosion of “legitimate authority” to make collective decisions; the inability to “provide reasonable public services”; and to interact with other states as a member of the international community. A higher index score and ranking showed worsening state fragility and instability. The country’s score improved to 80.5 from 82.4 previously. Among its Southeast Asian neighbors, the Philippines was the second most vulnerable after Myanmar (10th overall) and tying with Cambodia (50th).