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☆ Philippines Committed to South China Sea Code of Conduct
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Karen LemaMANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is firmly committed to negotiations for a code of conduct between China and Southeast Asian countries to avert confrontations in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday. Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo also said tensions in the South China Sea were not all about a rivalry between superpowers the United States and China, and the Philippines, and others, had legitimate rights and interests to uphold. The idea of a code of conduct was hatched more than two decades ago but parties only committed to begin the process in 2017. China has chided the Philippines for encroaching on what it says is its territory. Manalo said a high-level "2+2" meeting of the defence and foreign ministers of the Philippines and United States was planned and dates not yet been finalised.

Persons: Karen Lema MANILA, Enrique Manalo, Manalo, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty Organizations: Beijing Locations: Philippines, China, Southeast, South China, United States, Taiwan, Beijing, Manila

☆ Philippines Says 110 Missing After Landslide Kills at Least 11
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The number of missing from a landslide that struck a southern Philippine province rose to 110 on Thursday as rescuers recovered more bodies, bringing the official death toll to 11, disaster officials said. The landslide happened on Tuesday night in the town of Maco in the province of Davao de Oro, burying homes and two buses, which a provincial official said were carrying more than two dozen passengers. The number of missing had risen to 110 from the more than 40 previously reported, Maco's disaster agency said in a statement posted on its social media account, adding more than 1,166 families had been evacuated from their homes. Torrential rains have battered Davao de Oro in recent weeks, triggering floods and landslides. Rosa Cristina Rosete-Manuel, spokesperson for the military's Eastern Command helping lead the rescue operations, said rescuers remained hopeful of finding survivors.

Persons: Rosa Cristina Rosete, Manuel, Karen Lema, Nick Macfie Organizations: Eastern Command Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Maco, Davao de Oro

☆ Philippines' Marcos Says Secessionist Threats 'Doomed to Fail'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday that calls for independence for the country's southern island of Mindanao were a "constitutional travesty" and "doomed to fail." "The new call for a separate Mindanao is doomed to fail, for it is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty," Marcos said in a speech on Constitution Day without naming his outspoken predecessor. "I strongly appeal to all concerned to stop this call for a separate Mindanao. "This is not the new Philippines that we are trying to mold. That was followed by Marcos' defence chief on Monday vowing to strictly enforce the country's sovereignty after Duterte's secessionist threats.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos, Duterte, Karen Lema, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Sunday Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Mindanao, Philippines, Republic

☆ Landslide in Southern Philippines Buries Two Buses, Injures 11
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - A landslide triggered by heavy rains in a southern Philippine province buried two buses, injuring at least 11 people, disaster officials said on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear how many passengers were on board the buses. Those injured, including one in critical condition, were taken to a hospital, Maco town's disaster agency said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. The disaster agency also issued evacuation orders in five villages in Maco, located on the island of Mindanao. A northeast monsoon and a trough of low pressure has brought rains in southern Mindanao region from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, resulting in deadly floods and landslides, data from the national disaster agency show.

Persons: Karen Lema, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Apex Mining Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Maco, Davao de Oro, Mindanao, Jan

☆ Analysis-'Open Warfare': Philippines' Marcos-Duterte Alliance Crumbles
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"The opportunistic political alliance was not meant to last," said Temario Rivera, chairman of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance think-tank. "It is still working," he said, adding he was keeping Sara Duterte as education minister. 'OPEN WARFARE'The alliance publicly disintegrated on Sunday when Duterte called Marcos a "drug addict" during a rally against moves to change the charter. Analysts said the public bust-up could be linked to the 2028 presidential race, which Sara Duterte is expected to contest and stands a strong chance. "It will be an open warfare this year," said Ronald Llamas, a veteran political analyst and former presidential adviser.

Persons: Karen Lema MANILA, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos, Duterte's, Sara, Jean Encinas, Sebastian Duterte, Temario Rivera, Sara Duterte, Rivera, Duterte, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, Marcos Sr, Imelda, Ronald Llamas, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: University of the, Center for People Empowerment, International Criminal, Hague Locations: Philippine, Philippines, University of the Philippines, Davao, China, United States, Washington, South, Taiwan, South China

☆ Philippines' Marcos Says No Rift With the Vice President
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said there was no rift between him and his Vice President Sara Duterte after both her brother and father strongly criticised him. On Sunday, Duterte's brother, who is the mayor of Davao city, urged Marcos to resign over his supposed failings to address crime and a foreign policy that "endangers the lives of innocent Filipinos", while her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, called the incumbent president a "drug addict". Speaking to reporters while on a state visit to Vietnam, Marcos said his relationship with the vice president is "exactly the same", adding his "Uniteam" with Duterte was intact. Marcos and Duterte ran under the "Uniteam" ticket in the 2022 election, both winning a landslide victory. It's the unification of all political, hopefully all political forces in the Philippines to come together for the good country," Marcos said late on Tuesday.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Sara Duterte, Duterte's, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, Duterte, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales, Miral Fahmy Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Davao, Vietnam, Philippines

☆ Philippines and US Intend to Hold '2-Plus-2' Meeting in March, Envoy Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines and the United States intend to hold a "2-plus-2 meeting" of top diplomatic and defence officials in Manila in March, the Philippine ambassador to Washington said on Monday. He said there is an "intention" to hold a meeting, and the plan is "still a work in progress." Romualdez did not respond to a question on what will be the agenda of the planned meeting, which comes at a time of simmering tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea. The Philippines is a treaty ally of the United States. There was no immediate comment from the Philippines' defense secretary, the Philippine foreign ministry, and the U.S. embassy in Manila.

Persons: Jose Manuel Romualdez, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Enrique Manalo, Gilberto Teodoro, Romualdez, Karen Lema, Lisa Shumaker, Diane Craft Organizations: Defense, Nikkei, U.S Locations: MANILA, Philippines, United States, Manila, Philippine, Washington, China, South China

☆ Former Philippine Leader's Son Calls President Marcos 'Lazy', Urges Him to Quit
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Karen LemaMANILA (Reuters) - Former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte's son urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to resign on Sunday, calling him lazy and uncompassionate in a deepening rift between the two politically powerful families. Marcos teamed up with Duterte's daughter Sara to make her vice-president in their 2022 election win. Sebastian Duterte, who is mayor of Philippines' third most populous city Davao, said there had been a resurgence in crime after his father's hardline campaign had been relaxed. "He is putting politics first, their self-preservation ... rather than focusing on the job," Sebastian Duterte said. There was no immediate comment from Marcos' office or from the vice president on Sebastian Duterte's remarks.

Persons: Karen Lema MANILA, Rodrigo Duterte's, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Duterte's, Sara, Sebastian Duterte, Sara Duterte, Mr, Sebastian Duterte's, Karen Lema, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Bagong Pilipinas Locations: Philippine, Philippines, Davao, Taiwan, China

☆ Philippine Says Armed Forces to Ensure 'Unimpeded and Peaceful' Exploration in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Manila calls the portion of the South China Sea that is within its EEZ as the West Philippine Sea, where it has had a series of confrontations with China with both trading accusations of provoking conflict. In addition to the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the South China Sea disputed by China, which claims almost all of the sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. Plans by a Philippine firm to drill for oil and natural gas on the Reed Bank in the South China Sea have been hampered for years by the territorial dispute. The encroacher has a vast area of sea," Teodoro said. China and the Philippines agreed last week to improve maritime communication and to properly manage conflicts and differences in the South China Sea through friendly talks.

Persons: Gilberto Teodoro, Teodoro, China's, Neil Jerome Morales, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: Manila Overseas Press Club, South China, West, Reed Bank Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Manila, West Philippines, South, West Philippine, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Beijing, Philippine, South China

☆ United States condemns 'horrific terrorist attack' in southern Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lanao Del Sur Provincial Government/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The United States condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" during a Catholic Mass at a university in southern Philippines that killed at least four people and injured dozens, the State Department said on Sunday. The United States is in close contact with its Philippine partners and stands with Filipinos in rejecting the act of violence, it said in a statement. "We continue patrols and security in schools is tighter," Major Alinaid Moner, spokesperson of the Lanao del Sur police office, told News5 radio station on Monday. Mindanao State University (MSU) is continuing operations as it is the period for final exams, Moner said. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and security officials said on Sunday the crime was perpetrated by "foreign terrorists".

Persons: Mamintal Adiong, Alinaid Moner, Moner, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Neil Jerome Morales, Karen Lema, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Mindanao State University, REUTERS, Rights, State Department, MSU, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Lanao Del Sur, Marawi, Philippines, Lanao Del Sur Provincial Government, Rights MANILA, United States, Lanao del Sur

☆ Philippines deploys vessels to monitor 'illegal' presence of Chinese boats in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Philippine Coast Guard personnel looks through a binocular while conducting a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea, October 4, 2023. The West Philippine Sea is Manila's term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its 200-nautical mile EEZ. An international tribunal invalidated China's claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling. The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a naval flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tension. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble.

Persons: Adrian Portugal, Julian Felipe Reef, Karen Lema, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Philippine Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, South China, Embassy, Thomson Locations: South China, Rights MANILA, South, Manila, Philippines, West Philippine, Philippine, Beijing, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, United States, Australia, The Philippines

MANILA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Philippines lifted a tsunami alert early on Sunday as waves receded from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the south of the country, triggering coastal evacuations and some waves in there and in Japan. More than 500 aftershocks were recorded, and the Philippines' Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) urged caution as people resumed normal activities. "The tsunami threat associated with this earthquake has now largely passed the Philippines," Phivolcs said in a statement but advised people in threatened communities to heed the instructions from local authorities. [1/4]People gather at an evacuation center, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, Philippines December 2, 2023. Japan's Hachijojima island, some 290 km (180 miles) south of Tokyo, recorded waves of 40 cm (1.3 feet), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Persons: Phivolcs, Bicap, Hinatuan, Philvolcs, James Soria, Cosme Calejesan, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales, William Mallard Organizations: Institute of, Philippine Coast Guard, Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Centre . Earthquakes, Japan Meteorological Agency, U.S ., Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Japan, Mindanao, Surigao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Bislig, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, Handout, Centre, Hinatuan province, Tokyo, U.S, Surigao City, Manila

☆ Three dead in blast during Mass in Philippine university gym - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Lanao Del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. stands among law enforcement officers as they investigate the scene of an explosion that occurred during a Catholic Mass in a gymnasium at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Philippines, December 3, 2023. Lanao Del Sur Provincial Government/Handout via... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMANILA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Three people were killed and nine wounded when an explosion ripped through a Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in the southern Philippines on Sunday, police said. The authorities are investigating the explosion at Mindanao State University, the regional police director, Brigadier General Allan Nobleza, told reporters, adding that one angle being pursued was possible revenge by pro-Islamic State militants. "I condemn the violent bombing incident that transpired this morning," Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr said in a statement. Mindanao State University is "deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering," it said in a statement on Facebook.

Persons: Mamintal Adiong, General Allan Nobleza, Mamintal Adiong Jr, Neil Jerome Morales, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Mindanao State University, Sunday, Islamic, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Lanao Del Sur, Marawi, Philippines, Lanao Del Sur Provincial Government, MANILA, Philippine, Maguindanao del Sur province, Lanao del Sur, Mindanao

☆ Three Dead in Blast During Mass in Philippine University Gym - Police
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) -Three people were killed and nine wounded when an explosion ripped through a Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in the southern Philippines on Sunday, police said. The authorities are investigating the explosion at Mindanao State University, the regional police director, Brigadier General Allan Nobleza, told reporters, adding that one angle being pursued was possible revenge by pro-Islamic State militants. The blast occurred Marawi, a city besieged by Islamist militants in for five months in 2017. "I condemn the violent bombing incident that transpired this morning," Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr said in a statement. Mindanao State University is "deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering," it said in a statement on Facebook.

Persons: General Allan Nobleza, Mamintal Adiong Jr, Neil Jerome Morales, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Sunday, Mindanao State University, Islamic, Facebook Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, Maguindanao del Sur province, Lanao del Sur, Mindanao

☆ Strong Quake in Philippines Triggers Tsunami Warnings and Evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Evacuations were continuing in the Philippines, where there were no initial reports of significant wave damage or casualties despite continuing aftershocks. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Phivolcs, maintained that the risk of a tsunami remained. However, the two provinces are largely rural and not densely populated, unlike other parts of the Philippines. The EMSC said the quake of magnitude 7.5 had struck at a depth of 63 km (39 miles), while the U.S. Geographic Survey put the quake at magnitude 7.6 and a depth of 32 km (20 miles), and said it had struck at 10:37 p.m. (1437 GMT).

Persons: Mikhail Flores MANILA, Phivolcs, Raymark Gentallan, James Soria, Cosme Calejesan, EMSC, Mrinmay Dey, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, David Holmes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S ., Philippine Institute of, Japan Meteorological Agency, Seismological, Reuters, Earthquakes, U.S . Geographic Survey Locations: Philippines, Mindanao, Japan, U.S, Tokyo, Surigao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Hinatuan, Surigao City, Bengaluru, Manila

☆ 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

☆ Philippines' SEC to block access to world's largest crypto exchange Binance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Smartphone with displayed Binance logo and representation of cryptocurrencies are placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken, June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission has begun the process of blocking access to the world's largest crypto exchange Binance, whose chief last week stepped down and pleaded guilty to breaking U.S. anti-money laundering laws. The SEC said the operator of Binance was not a registered corporation in the Philippines, and was operating without the necessary licence and authority to sell or offer any form of securities. The removal of access in the Philippines, the SEC said in a statement, will take effect within three months of the issuance of its advisory on Nov. 28 to give Filipino users time to pull out investments from the crypto exchange. Former Binance chief Changpeng Zhao stepped down as CEO last week after pleading guilty to wilfully causing the exchange to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Binance, Alphabet's, Changpeng Zhao, Karen Lema, Mikhail Flores, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Alphabet's Google, Facebook, Binance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Rights MANILA, Philippines

☆ Chinese fighter jets 'orbit' Philippine patrol aircraft, Manila says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Two Chinese fighter jets were monitored "orbiting" a Philippine aircraft participating in patrols with Australia in the South China Sea but did not cause any untoward incident, Manila said on Sunday. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble. The West Philippine Sea is Manila's term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone. The Chinese aircraft continued on its flight route without further incident, Trinidad said. Participating in the joint drills were two Philippine navy vessels and five Philippine surveillance aircraft, and Australia's frigate Toowoomba and P8-A maritime surveillance aircraft.

Persons: China's, Xerxes Trinidad, Romeo Brawner, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: ., South China, Toowoomba, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Australia, South, Manila, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, South China, U.S, West Philippine, Trinidad

☆ Philippines, Australia start sea, air patrols in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Earvin Perias/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, days after Manila took similar steps with the U.S. as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. The patrols will be carried out in the West Philippine Sea, said Philippine Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, using Manila's term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Anthony Albanese, Earvin, China's, Richard Marles, Marcos, Marles, Arsenio Andolong, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Australia's, Rights, Australia, ., Philippine, Australian Defence Force, Armed Forces, Philippine Department of National Defense, South China, Toowoomba, Cooperative, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, South, China, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, South China, U.S, West Philippine, Philippine, United, Taiwan, West Philippine Sea

☆ Philippines, Australia Start Sea, Air Patrols in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, days after Manila took similar steps with the U.S. as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. The Philippines and the United States concluded three-day joint sea and air patrols on Thursday, starting in waters near Taiwan, a democratically governed island that China claims as its own, and ending in the West Philippine Sea. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, China's, Richard Marles, Marcos, Marles, Arsenio Andolong, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Australia, ., Philippine, Australian Defence Force, Armed Forces, Philippine Department of National Defense, South China, Toowoomba, Cooperative Locations: MANILA, Philippines, South, Manila, China, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, South China, U.S, West Philippine, Philippine, United, Taiwan, West Philippine Sea

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. President of the Philippines speaks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. This week's three-day joint air and maritime exercise was a "significant initiative" to boost interoperability between the two, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said. It will end in the West Philippine Sea, the name Manila uses for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The joint patrol with the United States showed the Manila was making a stand over the South China Sea, said Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea in Manila, the capital. "It shows that the Philippines is really firming up its posture on West Philippine Sea issues," Batongbacal said.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Carlos Barria, Eugene Cabusao, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi Jinping, Jay Batongbacal, Batongbacal, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Martin Petty, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, United States, South China, Washington, Institute for Maritime Affairs, Law, Philippine, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Philippine, Taiwan US, Manila, China, MANILA, Taiwan, Mavulis, Luzon, West Philippine, South, United, Hawaii, United States, China's, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Beijing, South China

☆ Philippines' Marcos says Myanmar a difficult problem for ASEAN
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking at a forum in Hawaii streamed live in the Philippines on Monday, Marcos said there was commitment from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but the issue was complex, including the humanitarian impact. "There is a great deal of impetus for ASEAN to solve this problem. But it is a very, very difficult problem," Marcos said. The Philippines will chair ASEAN in 2026 after it replaced Myanmar as host that year. Marcos, citing analyses of the recent escalation, said the junta had already lost support from its own military.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, Vivian Balakrishnan, Sarun Charoensuwan, Pham Minh Chinh, Antonio Guterres, Joko Widodo, Marcos, upending, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty Organizations: Singapore's, Vietnam's, UN, Southeast, ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Laos, MANILA, Myanmar, Hawaii

☆ Philippines says Japan, S.Korea, India offer to fund railway projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Japan, South Korea and India have offered to finance three Philippine railway projects worth nearly $5 billion, the country's transport chief said on Monday, after Manila dropped China as a funding source last year. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the Philippine government could tap the three countries for possible official development assistance (ODA). He said the government may also fund a portion of the rail projects or seek private sector investments. The rail projects are the Subic-Clark Railway Project, the Philippine National Railways South Long-Haul Project and the Davao-Digos segment of the Mindanao Railway Project, collectively worth $4.95 billion. Construction of the Philippines' first subway train, funded by loans from Japan, is underway in the capital region.

Persons: Jaime Bautista, Bautista, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Duterte, Marcos, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Transportation, Clark Railway, Philippine National Railways, Mindanao Railway Project, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Japan, South Korea, India, Philippine, Manila, China, Subic, Davao, Mindanao, Beijing, Philippines, Asia

☆ Philippines' Marcos Condemns Killing of Journalist, Orders Investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of a Filipino journalist and ordered the police to conduct an investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. Media watchdog NUJP also condemned the "brazen killing" which it said was caught on a livestream of Jumalon's show. Jumalon's killing brings to four the number of journalists killed since Marcos took office in June 2022, and to 199 since democracy was restored in the Philippines in 1986. The Philippines has one of Asia's most liberal media environments, but it remains one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists, particularly in its provinces. It ranked as the eighth worst country when it comes to prosecuting killers of journalists, according to 2023 Global Impunity Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists released this week.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Juan Jumalon, Johnny Walker, Marcos, NUJP, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: National Union of Journalists of, . Media, Committee, Protect Journalists Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Philippines, Calamba, Misamis Occidental

☆ Philippines' Marcos condemns killing of journalist, orders investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during a joint press statement with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines, September 8, 2023. Earvin Perias/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of a Filipino journalist and ordered the police to conduct an investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. Media watchdog NUJP also condemned the "brazen killing" which it said was caught on a livestream of Jumalon's show. Jumalon's killing brings to four the number of journalists killed since Marcos took office in June 2022, and to 199 since democracy was restored in the Philippines in 1986. It ranked as the eighth worst country when it comes to prosecuting killers of journalists, according to 2023 Global Impunity Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists released this week.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Anthony Albanese, Earvin, Juan Jumalon, Johnny Walker, Marcos, NUJP, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: Australia's, Rights, National Union of Journalists of, . Media, Committee, Protect Journalists, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Philippine, Calamba, Misamis Occidental

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