DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ U.S. Defence Chief Reaffirms Support for Philippines, Chides 'Dangerous' Chinese Conduct
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reaffirmed Washington's commitment to a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines and criticised as "dangerous" China's use of water cannon and disruption of a Philippine resupply mission last week. In a phone call on Wednesday with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, Austin "reaffirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to the Philippines" following Chinese obstruction at the Second Thomas Shoal "of a lawful Philippine resupply mission," said a statement from the Pentagon. Austin emphasised support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction, it said. The Philippines routinely sends boats to the Second Thomas Shoal to deliver supplies to a small group of its soldiers posted to guard a warship that was intentionally grounded on a reef 25 years ago. The Philippines has been furious over what it calls repeated aggression by China's coastguard around disputed features located inside Manila's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Gilberto Teodoro, Austin, Thomas, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty Organizations: . Defense, Philippine, Pentagon, China's coastguard Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, China, United States

☆ China Coast Guard Says It Took Measures Against Philippine Vessels in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's coast guard said it had taken control measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, while the Philippine coast guard decried the moves as "irresponsible and provocative". The incident occurred in the Second Thomas Shoal and Spratly Islands waters, according to the Chinese Coast Guard. A Philippine coast guard vessel was "impeded" and "encircled" by one Chinese coast guard vessel and two Chinese maritime militia vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a separate statement. As a result, the Philippine coast guard vessel was "isolated" from the resupply boat by the "irresponsible and provocative behaviour" of the Chinese maritime forces, the Philippine coast guard said. The China coast guard implements regulations in accordance with laws, and handles matters in a reasonable, legal, and professional manner, Gan said.

Persons: Thomas, Gan Yu, Gan, Neil Jerome Morales, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Convention Locations: MANILA, SHANGHAI, South, Philippine, Spratly, Manila, China, Philippines, South China, Beijing, Shanghai

☆ 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 Wards off Cyber Attacks From China-Based Hackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - Hackers operating in China attempted to break into websites and e-mail systems of the Philippine's president and government agencies, one promoting maritime security, but failed, an information and communications ministry official said on Monday. But using the internet protocol addresses, we pinpointed it to China," Paraiso said, adding the hackers were traced to be using the services of Chinese state-owned Unicom. "We are appealing to the Chinese government to help us prevent further attacks." The thwarted cyber attacks came at a time of heightened tensions with China, largely over disputed territory in the South China Sea. The Philippines is currently working on a five-year cybersecurity strategy to beef up its cyber defences to combat attacks and digital crimes.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, DICT, Renato Paraiso, Paraiso, Neil Jerome Morales, Michael Perry Organizations: Department of Information, Communications Technology, National Coast Watch, Philippine Locations: MANILA, China, China's, Manila, South China, Philippines

☆ Floods, Landslides Kill at Least 20 People in Southern Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - At least 20 people have died after days of torrential rains in parts of the southern Philippines, provincial disaster agencies said on Monday. Thirteen people died in Davao de Oro province while two were missing, and seven people were killed in neighbouring Davao del Norte, disaster agency officials said. A northeast monsoon and trough of a low pressure area 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. In mid-January, 18 people died due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in southern Philippines. Landslides and floods are frequent in the Southeast Asian nation, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that is hit by about 20 tropical storms annually.

Persons: Neil Jerome Morales, Bernadette Baum Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Mindanao, Jan

☆ China Says It Opposes and Cracks Down on All Forms of Cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Chinese government does not tolerate any form of cyberattacks and will not allow any country or individual to engage in such illegal activities using Chinese infrastructure, its embassy in the Philippines said. It made the assurances after the Philippines on Monday said that hackers from China last month attempted to break into government websites, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's personal website, but failed. Manila did not say the hackers were linked to any state, but said they were found to be using the services of Chinese state-owned company Unicom. "The Chinese government all along firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyber attack in accordance with law, allows no country or individual to engage in cyber attack and other illegal activities on Chinese soil or using Chinese infrastructure," a spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in Manila said late on Monday. The Philippines is currently working on a five-year cybersecurity strategy to beef up its cyber defences.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr's, Unicom, Neil Jerome Morales, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Embassy Locations: MANILA, Philippines, China, Manila

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Philippines' Marcos Draws Ire for Helicopter Use for Coldplay Concert
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr drew flak on social media for his use of a presidential helicopter to attend a concert by British rock band Coldplay in a province north of the capital, Manila. The Philippine Arena, the world's largest indoor arena, saw an influx of 40,000 concert-goers resulting in "unforeseen traffic complications along the route," the Presidential Security Group said in a statement. The traffic situation posed a security threat to Marcos who attended the Friday night concert with his wife, prompting the use of the presidential chopper, it added. "Using official resources, like the presidential chopper, for personal and non-official activities is generally considered an abuse of power or misuse of government resources," Facebook user James Patrick Aristorenas said in a post on Saturday. "We paid for the use of the chopper, fuel and security, who knows even for the tickets for everyone," Facebook user Arvine Concepcion said.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, James Patrick Aristorenas, Arvine Concepcion, Neil Jerome Morales, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Coldplay, Philippine, Presidential Security Group Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Manila

☆ Buildings evacuated as quake rattles Philippine capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lisa Marie David Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Workers, residents, and students evacuated buildings in the Philippine capital Manila on Tuesday after an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck off the main Luzon island, according to the state seismology agency and images carried by media. It recorded the offshore earthquake at magnitude 5.9, with a depth of 79 kilometres (49.09 miles). Images shared by media on X showed government workers leaving congress, senate, presidential palace, justice ministry buildings. Three people died from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on Saturday night. A separate magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Mindanao early Monday morning.

Persons: Lisa Marie David Acquire, Michael Orayani, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Philippine, Luzon, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, Mindanao

☆ 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

☆ Philippine quake aftershocks force thousands to stay in evacuation centres
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People gather at an evacuation center, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, Philippines December 2, 2023. "We are scared up to now because of the aftershocks," Alex Arana, disaster agency chief of Surigao del Sur, told DZBB radio station. Two people died -- one as a result of falling debris and another because of a collapsed wall -- and eight were injured in Surigao del Sur, Arana said. As of late on Sunday, more than 108,000 people were staying in 115 evacuation centres in Surigao del Sur, government data show. We choose to stay here at the evacuation centre for now," Susan Clor, a resident of Hinatuan town in Surigao del Sur, told GMA television station.

Persons: Hinatuan, Alex Arana, Arana, Susan Clor, Neil Jerome Morales, Neil Fullick Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, GMA, Thomson Locations: Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, Philippines, Handout, Rights MANILA, Tagum, Davao del Norte province, Mindanao, Philippine, Earthquakes

☆ 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

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: | 2023-12-02 | 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

☆ Philippines' South China Sea Patrols With US Within Its Rights -Security Adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' joint patrols with the United States in the South China Sea are within Manila's rights, and it will continue to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, its national security adviser said on Friday. The Southeast Asian nation rejects China's assertion that the Philippines enlisted "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement, responding to Beijing's remarks. Teodoro said there will be several iterations of joint patrols moving forward. The treaty allies conducted joint patrols from Tuesday to Thursday in waters near Taiwan and the South China Sea within Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), fanning further tensions with China. China claims most of the South China Sea on the basis of a "nine-dash line" that stretches as far as 1,500 km (900 miles) south of its mainland, cutting into the EEZs of rival claimants Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Persons: Eduardo Año, Gilberto Teodoro, Teodoro, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Jamie Freed Organizations: Philippines, National Locations: MANILA, Philippines, United States, South China, China, Taiwan, South, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam

☆ Philippines considers return to "fold" of International Criminal Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An exterior view of the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands, March 31, 2021. "There is also a question, should we return under the fold of the ICC, so that’s again under study. So we’ll just keep looking at it and see what our options are," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told reporters. The Philippines withdrew from the international tribunal in 2019 after then President Rodrigo Duterte questioned its authority to investigate the a campaign against illegal drugs in which thousands of people were killed. Marcos said questions over jurisdiction and sovereignty were still "problems" for the Philippines.

Persons: de, that’s, we’ll, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos, Mikhail Flores, Neil Jerome Morales, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Robert Birsel Organizations: Criminal Court, REUTERS, Rights, ICC, Thomson Locations: Hague, Netherlands, Rights MANILA, Philippines, Philippine

☆ Philippines' South China Sea patrols with US within its rights -security adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Philippine Air Force/Handout via REUTERS/... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMANILA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The Philippines' joint patrols with the United States in the South China Sea are within Manila's rights, and it will continue to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, its national security adviser said on Friday. The Southeast Asian nation rejects China's assertion that the Philippines enlisted "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement, responding to Beijing's remarks. Teodoro said there will be several iterations of joint patrols moving forward. The treaty allies conducted joint patrols from Tuesday to Thursday in waters near Taiwan and the South China Sea within Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), fanning further tensions with China. China claims most of the South China Sea on the basis of a "nine-dash line" that stretches as far as 1,500 km (900 miles) south of its mainland, cutting into the EEZs of rival claimants Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Persons: Eduardo Año, Gilberto Teodoro, Teodoro, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Jamie Freed Organizations: Philippine Air Force, Pacific Command, . Maritime, South China, REUTERS, Philippines, National, Thomson Locations: U.S, Philippines, Batanes, South, MANILA, United States, South China, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam

☆ China says Philippines enlists foreign force to stir trouble in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, China's military said. "The Philippines enlisted forces out of the region to patrol ... stirred up trouble and engaged in hype, undermining regional peace and stability," the southern theatre command of the Chinese military said. Relations have soured between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as he pivots towards closer ties with the U.S., which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday China had warned the U.S. and the Philippines in connection with their patrols. A Chinese navy ship shadowed three U.S. and Philippine warships conducting joint patrols on Thursday, the Philippine armed forces chief, Romeo Brawner, told reporters.

Persons: Carlos Dominguez, Gao Hucheng, Damir Sagolj, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Mao Ning, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee, Neil Jerome Morales, Edmund Klamann, Robert Birsel Organizations: Philippine, China's, REUTERS, U.S, Philippines, U.S ., Relations, South China, China, Philippine -, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Philippines, BEIJING, MANILA, Philippine, U.S, South China, Taiwan, South, Palawan, United States, Manila

☆ Philippines Considers Return to 'Fold' of International Criminal Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is considering resuming membership of the International Criminal Court (ICC) nearly five years after it withdrew over objections to a bid by the court to investigate a bloody anti-narcotics campaign, the president said on Friday. "There is also a question, should we return under the fold of the ICC, so that’s again under study. So we’ll just keep looking at it and see what our options are," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told reporters. The Philippines withdrew from the international tribunal in 2019 after then President Rodrigo Duterte questioned its authority to investigate the a campaign against illegal drugs in which thousands of people were killed. Marcos said questions over jurisdiction and sovereignty were still "problems" for the Philippines.

Persons: that’s, we’ll, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos, Mikhail Flores, Neil Jerome Morales, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Robert Birsel Organizations: Criminal Court, ICC Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine

☆ 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' Marcos meets China's Xi to find ways to reduce South China Sea tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Neil Jerome Morales | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Philippines and China need to continue to communicate, with the meeting a key part of the process to maintain peace, and keep open sea lanes and airways over the South China Sea, Marcos told reporters on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco. "We tried to come up with mechanisms to lower the tensions in the South China Sea," Marcos said, without elaborating. Marcos said he and Xi were in agreement that geopolitical problems should not be the defining element of the two countries' relationship. Marcos granted the United States greater access to its military bases, including in provinces facing the South China Sea and democratically-ruled Taiwan, drawing the ire of Beijing. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated Beijing's expansive claim.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Xi, Neil Jerome Morales, Kim Coghill Organizations: of, People, cnsphoto, REUTERS, APEC, coastguard, Sea, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Beijing, China, South China, Marcos China, MANILA, South, Philippines, San Francisco, United States, Taiwan, China's, Manila

☆ Philippines says at least six killed in Friday's magnitude 6.7 quake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in the southern Philippines has increased to six and authorities are searching for two missing people, local disaster officials said on Saturday. A man and his wife died when a concrete wall collapsed on them, while another woman was killed in a shopping mall, Dacera said. In Davao Occidental province, a 78-year-old man died after being crushed by a rock, Franz Irag, civil defense officer in the Davao region, told DWPM radio. Power supply has been restored and most roads are passable, disaster officials said, adding that reports were mostly of minor damage to homes and buildings. The Philippines lies within the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

Persons: Agripino, General Santos, Dacera, Angel Dugaduga, Franz Irag, Neil Jerome Morales, Chris Reese, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: German Research Center, Geosciences, General, General Santos City, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Mindanao, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Glan, Davao Occidental province, Davao

The quake struck off Mindanao island at a depth of 60 km (37.3 miles), according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ). PHIVOLCS director Teresito Bacolcol told DZRH radio the earthquake's intensity was "destructive, so we would expect damage". The earthquake lasted several seconds, he said, advising residents to be on alert for aftershocks as strong as magnitude 6.2. Radio announcer Leny Aranego in General Santos city, close to Glan, said the quake shook buildings and desks. Michael Ricafort, an economist at the lender RCBC, said in a Facebook post passengers at General Santos City airport were evacuated to the tarmac.

Persons: Angel Dugaduga, Amor Mio, Mio, Teresito Bacolcol, Leny Aranego, Michael Ricafort, Shubhendu Deshmukh, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Kanupriya Kapoor, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Fire, German Research Center, Geosciences, General Santos, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Fire MANILA, Mindanao, Glan, Earthquakes, Philippine, Koronadal, General Santos, Bengaluru, Manila

☆ US, Philippines sign landmark nuclear deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Carlos Barria Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The United States and the Philippines on Friday signed a landmark deal that would allow Washington to export nuclear technology and material to Manila, which is exploring the use of nuclear power to decarbonise and boost energy independence. "Nuclear energy is one area where we can show the Philippines-U.S. alliance and partnership truly works." U.S. Congress approval is needed for the deal, which will allow a peaceful transfer of nuclear material, equipment and information in adherence with non-proliferation requirements. The Philippines wants to tap nuclear power as a viable alternative baseload power source as it seeks to retire coal plants to help meet climate goals and boost energy security. Completed in 1984, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was mothballed two years later following the ouster of the older Marcos, the deadly Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and corruption allegations.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Carlos Barria, Antony Blinken, Marcos, Neil Jerome Morales, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, APEC, International Atomic Energy Agency, Bataan Nuclear, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Rights MANILA, United States, Washington, Manila, San Francisco, Taiwan

Search resuls for: "Neil Jerome Morales"

25 mentions found