Philippines | DD News

August 4, 2025 10:25 PM

India, Philippines strengthen scientific ties with new cooperation programme

In a significant step to deepen bilateral scientific collaboration, Philippines Secretary of Science and Technology Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. called on Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Monday in New Delhi. The meeting came in the backdrop of the recently signed Programme of Cooperation (PoC) for 2025–2028, which aims to bolster cooperation between the two countries across multiple areas of science and technology. Discussions centered on translating the broad framework of the PoC into act...

August 4, 2025 7:01 PM

Philippines, India hold first joint sail in South China Sea

The Philippine and Indian navies have sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea, officials said on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos left Manila for New Delhi for a state visit. The Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with foreign navies since late 2023 as part of its push to counter China's expansive claims in the waterway, including joint passages with treaty ally the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, France and Canada. Philippine militar...

March 11, 2025 1:01 PM

Philippine ex-leader Duterte long defiant on deadly drug war

Before he was elected president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte already was nicknamed "The Punisher" and "Duterte Harry" for his years-long and often violent campaign against drug offenders as mayor of his hometown of Davao. He promised to take his take-no-prisoners style of law and order to the whole of the Philippines, and his rhetoric resonated. He was swept to power with 40% of the vote in the 2016 presidential election. "Forget the laws on human rights. If I make it to the presidentia...

March 11, 2025 11:14 AM

Philippines’ ex-President Duterte arrested at ICC’s request over ‘drugs war’ killings

The Philippines' firebrand former leader Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Tuesday at the request of the International Criminal Court, a major step in its investigation into thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings in a bloody "war on drugs" that defined his presidency. Duterte was served an Interpol arrest warrant on his arrival at Manila's main airport and was in custody, the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement. The "war on drugs" was Duterte's signature campaign pol...

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...