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The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. The large numbers mean Filipinos are disproportionately exposed to the dangers posed by Houthis targeting ships in the Red Sea. Two Filipino crew members remain in Djibouti to receive medical treatment. Most of the Filipino crew members on board returned to Manila on Tuesday, reuniting with their families after their ordeal at sea. It’s very painful for us, especially for the families,” Mark Dagohoy, one of the ship’s crew members, told journalists after their return.

Persons: It’s, “ There’s, ”, Eduardo de Vega, Israel, Houthis, “, Al, ” Houthi, Nasr Al, Din Amer, De Vega, de Vega, They’re, Mohammed Al, it’s, Ray Car, Abraham Ungar, Eloisa Lopez, Houthi, Yahya Sarea, ” Mark Dagohoy, Celine Alkhaldi, Paul P, Murphy Organizations: CNN, Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military Media, Reuters, Philippines, Yemeni, Nippon, Ray, Ray Car Carriers, Ambrey Analytics, Ambrey, Indian Navy, Manila International Airport, “, Liberian, Financial Times, Oaktree Locations: Filipino, Gaza, Red, Romanian, Iran, Yemen, Cairo, Philippines, Aden, Saudi, Hodeidah, Suez, Africa, Bab, Mandab, United States, Britain, Djibouti, Manila

☆ Australian Open women’s final: China’s Zheng Qinwen bidding for first grand slam title against relentless Aryna Sabalenka
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s Zheng Qinwen will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriot and idol Li Na, who was crowned Australian Open champion a decade ago, when she faces Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final. Just go for it.’ That’s enough, I think,” Zheng laughed. So that can’t be more special than here in Australian Open. Beating Gauff was a significant victory for Sabalenka, who lost to the American from a set up in the US Open final at the end of 2023. “As I said before, yeah, I’m defending champion, but worst case … I’m going to lose this tournament and it’s less points to defend next year.

Persons: CNN — China’s Zheng Qinwen, Li Na, Aryna, Zheng, Dayana Yastremska, Li, ” Zheng, ”, Sabalenka, Eloisa Lopez, Lesia, Coco Gauff, Gauff Organizations: CNN, Reuters Locations: Australian, Melbourne, China, Belarusian, ”

☆ Coco Gauff knocked out of Australian Open by defending champion Aryna Sabalenka
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Coco Gauff’s pursuit of back-to-back grand slam titles came to an end on Thursday as she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Defending champion Sabalenka triumphed 7-6(7-2) 6-4 in Rod Laver Arena for her 13th consecutive win at Melbourne Park. In a tight rematch of last year’s US Open final, during which the 19-year-old Gauff won her first major title, the world No. 2 took control of the contest with a break at 4-4 in the second set before serving out for the match. Another finely-balanced second set followed, although this time neither player could find the all-important break.

Persons: Coco Gauff’s, Aryna Sabalenka, Sabalenka, Rod Laver, Gauff, Zheng Qinwen, Eloisa Lopez, Reuters Sabalenka, old’s, Serena Williams, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Gauff, Reuters, ESPN Locations: Saturday’s, Melbourne

☆ Novak Djokovic drops just three games and equals Roger Federer record as he reaches Australian Open quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic produced a stunning performance to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals with a 6-0 6-0 6-3 victory over France’s Adrian Mannarino on Sunday. It is the 58th time the Serb has reached the last eight of a grand slam, equaling Roger Federer’s all-time record. Taylor Fritz reached his first ever Australian Open quarterfinal. Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP“The last three games of the match I really, really turned it on, almost like [I] was in a trance and everything,” Fritz said afterwards, according to the tournament’s website. “Yeah, I definitely do forget my age a lot.”She become the youngest woman to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2008, where she will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, France’s Adrian Mannarino, Roger Federer’s, Djokovic, “, I’ve, ” Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Fritz, Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, ” Fritz, It’s, Coco Gauff, Poland’s Magdalena Frech, Magdalena Frech, Eloisa Lopez, Reuters Gauff’s, ”, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk Organizations: CNN, ATP, Australian, Poland’s, Reuters

☆ Philippines builds new coast guard station on island in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view shows the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, in the contested Spratly Islands, South China Sea, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Philippines has built a new coast guard station on the contested island of Thitu in the South China Sea, boosting its ability to monitor movements of Chinese vessels and aircraft in the busy disputed waterway. Inaugurated on Friday, the new three-storey facility is equipped with state-of-the art technology such as radar, automatic identification, satellite communication, and coastal cameras, the Philippine coast guard said in a statement. Manila's outpost of Thitu is its biggest and most strategically important in the South China Sea, largely claimed by Beijing, despite conflicting territorial claims by several regional nations. Besides the Philippines, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea, a conduit for goods in excess of $3 trillion every year.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, Eduardo Ano, Thitu, Karen Lema, Mikhail Flores, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, People's Liberation Army, PLA ) Navy, Philippine, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Thitu, Pag, Spratly Islands, South China, Rights MANILA, Philippines, Manila, Spratly, Beijing, Palawan, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam

☆ Leila de Lima: Philippine court grants bail to fierce ‘war on drugs’ critic after six years in custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Jinky Jorgio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Philippine court has granted bail for Leila De Lima, one of the most vocal critics of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” after being held in police custody for over six years. Organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have criticized De Lima’s detention, calling it “arbitrary” and demanding her immediate release. De Lima’s bail “must lead to dismissal of last bogus charge against her,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Monday. “The court’s granting of Leila de Lima’s bail application is indeed a welcome development. “Leila has been targeted by the government for her criticism of the murderous ‘war on drugs’ and other human rights violations.

Persons: Leila De Lima, Rodrigo Duterte’s, “, ” De Lima, Gener, Gito, Leila, ”, De Lima, De, de Lima, Leila de Lima, Eloisa Lopez, “ She’s, She’s, Leila de Lima’s, Butch Olano, “ Leila, expeditiously, ” Olano Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, Amnesty Locations: Muntinlupa City, De Lima, Muntinlupa, Philippines, Amnesty International Philippines

☆ Philippine court grants bail to jailed "drug war" critic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Finally, I will be freed," De Lima told reporters outside the court after her bail was granted. Two of three cases against De Lima have been dismissed and she had sought bail in the one pending case on health grounds, which the court granted on Monday. Her lawyer, Filibon Tacardon, told Reuters by phone, De Lima could walk out of prison later on Monday. Police always denied that and Duterte insisted police were under orders to kill only in self-defence. Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Mikhail Flores; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Leila de Lima, Eloisa Lopez, De Lima, Rodrigo Duterte's, Duterte, Filibon Tacardon, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Martin Petty Organizations: Muntinlupa, of Justice, REUTERS, Reuters, Police, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Muntinlupa, Lima, MANILA

A fishing boat sails past the Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess cruise ship as it docks in Manila Bay during the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cavite city, Philippines, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Carnival Corp's (CCL.N) Australian unit has been ordered to pay the medical expenses of a woman who contracted COVID-19, with a judge ruling that the cruise ship operator misled passengers about safety risks in a landmark class action ruling. The decision from Australia's Federal Court is the first class action win against a cruise ship operator in the world, according to Shine Lawyers, who represent about 1,000 Australian plaintiffs in the suit. Legal filings show the operator denied it knew before the voyage that the risk of contracting COVID was higher on a cruise ship than in the community. The number of plaintiffs could also grow should Australia's High Court rule that some 700 U.S. passengers can be included in the class action.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, COVID, Angus Stewart, Susan Karpik, Henry, Henry Karpik's, Vicky Antzoulatos, Karpik's, Karpik didn’t, Antzoulatos, Lewis Jackson, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Princess Cruises, REUTERS, Rights, Federal, Shine Lawyers, Carnival, Carnival Australia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manila Bay, Cavite city, Philippines, Carnival Australia, Sydney, New Zealand, New South Wales

☆ Philippines to recruit 'cyber warriors' for online defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. walks past honor guards during the arrival ceremony at Western Command, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. Several government agencies, including the lower house of Congress, have recently reported cyber attacks and the chief of the armed forces said some of the almost daily attacks on the military came from abroad. "Instead of recruiting soldiers for infantry battalions, this time we will recruit cyber warriors," General Romeo Brawner told reporters. "There is this general realisation that this new breed of warriors does not have to be muscle strong." Cyber defence training was part joint exercises this year with U.S. forces, Brawner said, highlighting the growing importance of cyber resilience in defence strategy.

Persons: Romeo Brawner Jr, Eloisa Lopez, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Karen Lema, Robert Birsel Organizations: Forces, Western Command, REUTERS, Rights, coastguard, U.S, China Telecom, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Rights MANILA, Philippine, China, South China, Japan

☆ Philippines sees no current, future engagements with Taiwan - military chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. speaks to the media during a press briefing at Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Philippines has no military engagements with Taiwan and it does not see future engagements with the democratically-governed island, Manila's armed forces chief Romeo Brawner told foreign correspondents on Thursday. The Philippines sees risk of conflict over Taiwan as a major concern amid geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. The military is ready for any eventuality, though it has not monitored reports on any intended attacks on Taiwan in particular, Brawner said. The Philippines adheres to the "One China Policy", and also has ties with Taipei, with its Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan serving as a de facto embassy.

Persons: Romeo Brawner, Eloisa Lopez, Brawner, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales Organizations: Forces, Western Command, REUTERS, Rights, Philippine, Office, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Rights MANILA, Taiwan, China, United States, Mavulis, Taipei, Manila

☆ US aircraft carrier due to arrive in South Korea on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), an aircraft carrier, during a goodwill visit in Manila, Philippines, October 14, 2022. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan is expected to dock at the South Korean port of Busan this week, South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday. The carrier is due to arrive on Thursday in Busan and remain there until Oct 16, the ministry said. Last year, the carrier arrived in South Korea for the first time in about four years, joining other military vessels in a show of force intended to send a message to North Korea. The South Korean and U.S. navies held joint maritime drills with Japan's defence force in waters near South Korea's Jeju Island on Monday and Tuesday, the South Korean navy said.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Eloisa Lopez, Hyunsu Yim, Ed Davies Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, South Korean, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights SEOUL, Busan, South Korea, North Korea, U.S, South

Passengers queue at airline counters in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, January 2, 2023. "While the information is currently under validation, immediate enhanced security measures are being implemented across all airports," CAAP said. The Oct. 4 memo included a screenshot of what it said was the threat, which did not contain the word "bomb" but said "an airplane will explode" at Manila's international airport today and "please beware". Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said patrols had been increased and K9 units deployed at all terminals of Manila's international airport, and law enforcement agencies were coordinating closely. Reporting by Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, CAAP, Jaime Bautista, Bautista, Karen Lema, Mikhail Flores, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Ninoy Aquino International Airport, REUTERS, Security, Civil Aviation Authority of, Philippines Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Thomson Locations: Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, Manila, MANILA, Davao, Bicol, Palawan, Cebu

☆ Nobel laureate Ressa acquitted in Philippine tax case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Mikhail Flores | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Philippines Nobel laureate Maria Ressa faces the media after she and her news site Rappler were acquitted of tax fraud by a trial court in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, September 12, 2023. After the verdict was announced, Ressa told reporters Her acquittal sends a "good signal" to the business community, as her tax charges "have a lot to do with the rule of law". "The acquittal now strengthens our resolve to continue with the justice system, to submit ourselves to the court despite the political harassment, despite the attack on press freedom," Ressa said. Ressa's acquittal was expected after she was cleared of similar tax charges nine months ago. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has been in office for 14 months, has said he would not interfere in the court cases against Rappler.

Persons: Maria Ressa, Rappler, Eloisa Lopez, Rodrigo Duterte, Ressa, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Francis Lim, Mikhail Flores, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rappler, World Press, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Pasig City, Metro Manila, MANILA, Russian

☆ In FIBA World Cup host Philippines, basketball is life
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Eloisa Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Filed: August 23, 2023, 11 p.m. GMTIt may be dwarfed by other nation’s sporting prowess, but the Philippines’ fervor for basketball is gigantic, and enthusiasm for the sport is only intensifying ahead of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which opens in Manila on Friday. Basketball is played everywhere and by almost everyone in the Philippines, which counts the sport as a national obsession along with boxing and beauty pageants.

Organizations: Basketball Locations: Philippines, Manila

BEIJING/TAIPEI, July 28 (Reuters) - Typhoon Doksuri swept into southern China on Friday, unleashing heavy rain and violent gusts of wind that whipped power lines and sparked fires, uprooted trees, and ripped off part of a stadium roof. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezSocial media video showed power lines sparking and bursting into flames as winds thrashed Jinjiang, a city of 2 million, while in Quanzhou trees were uprooted and left in the middle of roads. FERRY OVERTURNSTyphoon Doksuri has already left a wake of death and destruction as it moved from the Philippines across southern Taiwan. In southern Taiwan, the storm toppled trees and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes. The storm had cut power to more than 278,000 homes across Taiwan and downed hundreds of trees in Kaohsiung.

Persons: Doksuri, Meranti, Zhuang, Aya, Eloisa Lopez, Bernard Orr, Ryan Woo, Yimou Lee, Dominique Patton, Yuhan Lin, Kevin Huang, Ethan Wang, Michael Perry, Neil Fullick Organizations: Sunday, Philippine Coast Guard, REUTERS, Eloisa Lopez Social, Residents, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, TAIPEI, China, Fujian, Quanzhou, Anhui, Beijing, Xiamen, Binangonan, Rizal province, Philippines, Jinjiang, Taiwan, Manila, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Shanghai

MANILA, July 24 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Monday touted his administration's successes over the past year, including battling inflation and steering the economy back on track, but said a number of economic challenges lie ahead. After more than a year in office, buffeted by soaring inflation that has dented economic growth, the government is now "stabilising the prices of all critical commodities", Marcos said. "Inflation rate is moving in the right direction," he said in his second state of the nation address. Developing the long-neglected farm sector, which contributes 10% of the country's economic output, is a priority for Marcos, who also helms the agriculture ministry. The Philippines remains vulnerable to global price shocks because it buys a sizeable portion of its rice overseas, and relies on imports for most of its fuel requirements.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, helms, Michael Ricafort, Enrico dela Cruz, Eloisa Lopez, Bernadette Baum, Mark Potter Organizations: Rizal Commercial Banking Corp, Asia's, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, Rizal, China, Manila, United States

☆ ICC ruling opens way to investigation on killings in Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a ruling on July 18, the ICC appeals judges rejected an attempt by the Philippines to block an investigation into the bloody anti-narcotics campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte. A majority of judges rejected all four points of Manila's appeal, including that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines and that authorities there were conducting their own investigation. "The ICC appeals judges' ruling marks the next step toward justice for victims of 'drug war' killings and their families," Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement. The decision left some of the families of drug war victims in tears after they watched the court proceeding online. But appeals judges ruled prosecutors still had jurisdiction over the alleged crimes because they occurred when the Philippines was still an ICC member.

Persons: Rodrigo Duterte, Harry Roque, Roque, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Bryony Lau, Kristina Conti, HRW's Lau, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Anthony Deutsch, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Neil Jerome Morales, Eloisa Lopez, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Emma Rumney, Alex Richardson Organizations: Criminal Court, ICC, Philippine, Human Rights Watch, Duterte, Police, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, MANILA, Philippines, Manila, Asia, Amsterdam

☆ China blasts US for forcing it to accept South China Sea ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Filipino activists gather outside the Chinese consular office to commemorate the anniversary of the Philippines' victory against China in the UN arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 12, 2023. The ruling, handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague seven years ago, concluded that Beijing's claim to almost the entire South China Sea was groundless. China, whose actions in the South China Sea have been the subject of hundreds of diplomatic protests filed by the Philippines, also maintained that it does not accept any claim or action based on the ruling. "We firmly reject attempts to deliberately diminish or undermine the Award's definitive legal effects in international law," Philippines Foreign Ministry undersecretary Theresa Lazaro told a forum on the South China Sea. About $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass through the South China Sea every year.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, Wang Wenbing, Matthew Miller, Theresa Lazaro, Karen Lema, Bernard Orr, Raissa Kasolowsky, Mark Porter Organizations: China, UN, REUTERS, Foreign Ministry, U.S . State Department, Wednesday, Beijing, Philippines Foreign, Thomson Locations: Philippines, China, Makati City, Metro Manila, Eloisa Lopez BEIJING, United States, South China, Washington, Beijing, The Hague, U.S, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Manila

☆ Philippine central bank on hold for rest of year, cut in early 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Veronica Dudei Maia Khongwir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

All 24 economists polled June 13-19 forecast the BSP will hold its benchmark overnight borrowing rate (PHCBIR=ECI) at 6.25% at its policy meeting on June 22. A strong majority of respondents, 14 of 17, forecast rates will stay at 6.25% for the rest of the year with the remaining three predicting a rate cut by end-2023. The central bank, which had previously closely followed the U.S. Federal Reserve in hiking interest rates, is now charting a distinct course. "In later meetings if the Fed hikes, the BSP is likely to stay on hold. The Fed kept interest rates unchanged at 5.00%-5.25% last week but signaled it may still hike by as much as half of a percentage point by end-2023.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, Felipe Medalla, Francisco Dakila Jr, Shreya, Veronica Dudei Maia Khongwir, Anant Chandak, Madhumita Gokhale, Hari Kishan, Ross Finley, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, ng Pilipinas, U.S . Federal Reserve, Fed, Barclays, BSP, Thomson Locations: Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, BENGALURU, Philippine

☆ High Philippine inflation dents Marcos' approval ratings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Philippines President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. delivers a speech on the 126th founding anniversary of the Philippines army at Fort Bonifacio, in Taguig, Philippines, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File PhotoMANILA, April 12 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's approval ratings edged lower due to public dissatisfaction over his government's handling of inflation, but he remains popular, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday. Marcos' approval ratings were slightly lower than the 83% that his vice president, Sara Duterte, got in March. Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, currently serves as education minister, while Marcos helms the agriculture department. In the same survey, 61% percent of respondents approved of Marcos' government in terms of "defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners", up from 58% in November.

☆ Philippines, U.S. begin joint troop exercises amid regional tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] General view during the opening ceremony of the annual Philippines-U.S. joint military exercises or Balikatan, at the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 11, 2023. The expanded annual exercises underscore improved defence ties under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr after his predecessor scaled back drills to pursue closer ties with Beijing. For the first time, the Philippines and the United States will hold live-fire drills at sea during the three-week event known as the 'Balikatan' or 'shoulder-to-shoulder' exercises. China's foreign ministry on Monday criticised the joint exercises, saying they "must not interfere in South China Sea disputes, still less harm China's territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests and security interests." President Marcos is expected to witness the live-fire sea drills which will involve the sinking of an old Philippines navy ship, according to a Philippine military official.

☆ Philippines, U.S. hold live-fire exercises focused on territorial defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Adrian Portugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is fired during a live fire exercise with Philippine and U.S. troops at the three-week joint military drills "Salaknib" in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezFORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines, March 31 (Reuters) - Philippine troops staged live-fire exercises with their U.S. counterparts in the Southeast Asian country's largest military camp as part of army-to-army drills aimed at enhancing Manila's defence capabilities against external threats. More than 3,000 Filipino and U.S. soldiers participated in the three-week long annual exercises called Salaknib, which on Friday featured anti-tank and small-arms live-fire exercises, and the firing of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars). "We are now transitioning from internal security operations to territorial defence operations," Philippine army training officer Lt. Col. Tara Cayton, said in a news conference. Fort Magsaysay will also host the biggest ever joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States next month, which highlight improved ties with the Western power under Marcos.

[1/6] Philippines Air Force Acting Commanding General Ramon Guiang, Assistant Secretary of the Office of American Affairs Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, Philippines defence chief Carlito Galvez Jr., U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall; U.S. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezBASA AIR BASE, Philippines, March 20 (Reuters) - The United States and Philippines will announce new sites as soon as possible for an expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which gives the Western power access to military bases in the Southeast Asian country. Leaders of local governments at the potential EDCA sites have backed the government's decision to allow the United States greater access to the bases, Philippines' defence chief, Carlito Galvez, said in a joint news conference with Kendall. Galvez and Kendall were leading a groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of the Basa Air Base's runway. The runway rehabilitation is part of $82 million the United States has allocated for infrastructure investments at the existing five EDCA sites.

☆ Philippines beefs up efforts to contain oil leak from sunken tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows the oil spill from the sunken fuel tanker MT Princess Empress on the shores of Pola, in Oriental Mindoro province, Philippines, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File PhotoMANILA, March 14 (Reuters) - Philippine authorities have increased efforts to contain an oil spill from a sunken fuel tanker that has affected coastal towns and was still spreading, the environment ministry said on Tuesday, as the country grapples with cleanup challenges. The vessel was carrying about 800,000 litres (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it sank, according to the coast guard. Resorts in Oriental Mindoro, also known for world-class beaches and dive spots, have already been reeling from the impact of the oil spill, as tourists cancel reservations during what is supposed to be peak season. They also raised concerns about whether the tanker owner could file insurance claims despite questions about the ship's permit to operate.

☆ Over the South China Sea, dispute simmers via radios and rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Eloisa Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] An aerial view shows the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, in the contested Spratly Islands, South China Sea, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezABOARD PHILIPPINES COAST GUARD PLANE, South China Sea, March 10 (Reuters) - As a Philippine coast guard aircraft flew over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, a message came in over the radio telling it to immediately leave "Chinese territory". "Calling China coast guard vessel. China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Beijing insists its coast guard is defending its territory. China's coast guard challenged the plane again as it flew over the shoal, located inside the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

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