Philippines

December 10, 2024 3:01 PM

Philippines to continue resupply missions in S.China Sea, won’t escalate situation

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Tuesday that the country will not send its navy to support Filipino fishers in a contested shoal in the South China Sea despite a recent incident with Chinese vessels. "We will never be part of an escalation in the West Philippine Sea," Marcos told reporters, adding that the country will continue supporting fishermen. The Philippines will not deploy its own navy warships in the area to prevent provocation and escalation, Marcos said. The Philipp...

November 16, 2024 11:45 AM

Philippines evacuates tens of thousands as super typhoon Man-Yi nears

The Philippines evacuated tens of thousands of people from their homes and cancelled dozens of flights on Saturday, as a super typhoon threatened to unleash heavy rains and powerful winds that could trigger floods and storm surges. Packing winds of 185 kph (115 mph), the storm Man-Yi was heading for the eastern part of the main island of Luzon, spurring the weather agency to raise its second-highest alert for the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Sur. "Pepito is approaching its peak inten...

October 28, 2024 5:05 PM

Dalai Lama’s representative highlights Tibetan issue in Philippines

Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, the Dalai Lama's representative for Japan and East Asia, concluded his official visit to the Philippines, where he spotlighted the ongoing struggle for Tibetan autonomy and human rights. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) confirmed that Arya’s engagements included lectures and discussions emphasizing the importance of international support for Tibet, building on the Philippines' history of backing Tibet’s freedom movement since the 1960s. During a meeting with Co...

September 3, 2024 10:45 AM

Philippines death toll from tropical storm Yagi rises to 13

At least 13 people have died in the Philippines due to tropical storm Yagi, while schools and government offices were closed in Manila and nearby provinces on Tuesday because of expected bad weather. Yagi, locally known as Enteng, made landfall on Monday in the eastern town of Casiguran in Aurora province, knocking out power in the municipality, disaster officer Elson Egargue said by phone. As of 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the centre of the storm was in coastal waters off the northern city of Laoag in...

August 31, 2024 2:39 PM

China, Philippines accuse each other of ramming ships in South China Sea

China and the Philippines accused each other of ramming their ships in a disputed area of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in an escalating series of clashes in the vital waterway. China's coast guard said a Philippine ship, "illegally stranded" at the Sabina Shoal, had lifted anchor and "deliberately rammed" a Chinese vessel, while the Philippine coast guard said a Chinese vessel had "intentionally rammed" one of Manila's ships. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, inc...

August 26, 2024 12:23 PM

Philippines says China’s South China Sea moves ‘aggressive, unprofessional and illegal’

The Philippine government slammed China on Monday for "repeated aggressive, unprofessional and illegal" actions in the South China Sea after a string of clashes and incidents on air and at sea over the past week. The Philippines' national maritime council said Chinese aircraft made unsafe manoeuvres against a civilian aircraft conducting patrols over the Scarborough shoal and Subi reef. On Sunday, Chinese vessels also "blocked, rammed and fired water cannons" against a government fisheries ves...

August 24, 2024 11:23 AM

Philippines urges China to halt ‘provocative and dangerous’ actions after flare incidents

The Philippines called on Beijing on Saturday to "immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions" after accusing it of "unjustifiably" deploying flares from China occupied Subi Reef on Aug. 22 while a Manila aircraft was conducting patrols. The same aircraft also "faced harassment" from a Chinese jet fighter while it was conducting a surveillance flight near Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 19, the Philippines' South China Sea Task Force said in a statement. "Such actions undermine regional ...

August 19, 2024 11:16 AM

Philippines, China trade blame after vessels collide in the South China Sea

The Philippines and China accused each other on Monday of ramming vessels and performing dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea, the latest flare-up after the two nations had agreed to try to ease tensions and manage disagreements at sea. China's Coast Guard said in a statement a Philippine vessel which had ignored its repeated warnings "deliberately collided" with a Chinese vessel in an "unprofessional and dangerous" manner in the disputed waterway early on Monday. The Philippines disput...

June 18, 2024 3:28 PM

China accuses U.S. of “malign intention” to discredit its COVID vaccines

China's embassy in the Philippines accused the U.S. military of "hypocrisy, malign intention and double standards" in response to a report of secret U.S. campaign to undermine confidence in a Chinese vaccines and other aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The remarks made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday were in response to a investigative report that said the U.S. military launched a clandestine programme during the COVID pandemic to discredit China's Sinovac inocul...

May 29, 2024 3:47 PM

Philippines president calls new China coast guard rules ‘worrisome’

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday new rules outlined by China's coast guard that could result in the detention of foreigners in the South China Sea were an escalation and "worrisome". China, which has maritime sovereignty disputes with the Philippines and other countries, issued new rules effective June 15 that would enforce a 2021 coast guard law and allow detention of foreigners suspected of trespassing. "The new policy of threatening to detain our own citizens, tha...