Three people have been arrested over the murder of a Philippine provincial governor and eight others, authorities said Sunday, adding that another suspect was killed in a shoot-out. Seventeen people were also wounded in the audacious attack on Saturday in the sugarcane-growing heartland of the Philippines. At least six gunmen …
Read More »Philippines and Australia advance defense cooperation in South China Sea
Canberra pushes for joint patrols with the Philippines, as Manila and Washington discuss same The Philippines and Australia have agreed to formalize their “strategic” defense engagement through an annual meeting, their defense chiefs said Wednesday, as both countries look to counter Beijing’s growing military influence especially in the South China …
Read More »Philippines election winner Marcos tells world to judge him by actions, not family’s past
The son of the disgraced late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos vowed on Tuesday to work for all people after his stunning election victory and told the world to judge him by his presidency, not his family’s past. Ferdinand Marcos Jr, better known as “Bongbong”, become the first candidate in recent …
Read More »Son of Philippines dictator Marcos headed for presidency with huge election lead
Ferdinand Marcos Jr looked on course for a huge victory in the Philippines presidential election on Monday, after an unofficial tally of two-thirds of the votes showed the son of the notorious late dictator surging ahead of his nearest rival. The massive lead bolsters the chances of a once-unthinkable return …
Read More »Philippines authorities on high alert as all systems go for election
The Philippine police and military said on Sunday they were on high alert as last-minute preparations continued for the country’s general election, even as the overall situation remained “relatively peaceful.”
Read More »Search is on for 103 missing after Philippine storm kills at least 138
The Philippine military and aid workers pledged on Thursday to keep searching for 103 people missing after tropical storm Megi ripped through central areas this week, burying many under landslides and killing at least 138. Megi was the first cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, an archipelago of more …
Read More »Search for survivors in Philippine villages hit by landslides
Rescuers hampered by mud and rain on Tuesday used their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central Philippines, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 42. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes as the storm …
Read More »Tropical storm Megi makes landfall in central Philippines
The state weather bureau said that the tropical storm Megi made landfall in the central Philippine province on Sunday morning. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said Megi hit land before 8:00 a.m. local time, Xinhua reported. Megi is the first tropical storm to hit the Southeast Asian …
Read More »Japan, Philippines seek pact to further defense cooperation
Japan and the Philippines agreed Saturday to start talks toward a possible defense agreement that would allow closer cooperation between their militaries amid regional tensions with China and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and their Philippine counterparts, Teodoro Locsin and Delfin …
Read More »Meta suspends Facebook accounts to tackle misinformation ahead of Philippines polls
Meta Platforms Inc on Wednesday suspended a network of over 400 accounts, pages, and groups ahead of general elections in the Philippines as the Facebook parent moves to crack down on hate speech and misinformation. Concerns about online hate speech have increased as candidates and supporters increasingly turn to social …
Read More »‘Carnage’: 375 dead and 630,000 displaced after Typhoon Rai rips through Philippines
Deadly typhoon is the strongest the archipelago has faced this year, with peak winds reaching 146mph At least 375 people have been killed after a devastating typhoon tore through the Philippines, causing “complete carnage” and leaving over 630,000 seeking shelter in schools, churches, and camps ahead of Christmas. Typhoon Rai, …
Read More »Typhoon deaths in Philippines top 140; mayors plead for food (Pictures)
The death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year has reached at least 146, and the governor of an island province especially hard-hit by Typhoon Rai said there may be even greater devastation that has yet to be reported. Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province in …
Read More »Death toll from powerful typhoon in Philippines climbs to 12 (Pictures)
The death toll from a typhoon that slammed into the Philippines rose to 12 on Friday, and its president feared it could climb further as authorities assess the devastation caused by one of the strongest tropical storms to hit the country this year. President Rodrigo Duterte said he would visit …
Read More »US warns China after South China Sea standoff with Philippines
The United States on Friday warned China after a standoff in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, saying it stood by Manila amid an “escalation that directly threatens regional peace and stability”. Beijing “should not interfere with lawful Philippine activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone”, U.S. …
Read More »Philippines tells China to ‘back off’ after South China Sea standoff
The Philippines on Thursday condemned “in strongest terms” the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the South China Sea. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said no one was hurt during Tuesday’s incident at …
Read More »Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov win 2021 Nobel Peace Prize
Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, journalists whose work has angered the rulers of the Philippines and Russia, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, an award the committee said was an endorsement of free speech rights under threat worldwide. The two were awarded “for their courageous fight for freedom …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte to prepare defense against ICC probe into drug war
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will “prepare for my defense” against an International Criminal Court probe into his deadly drug war after he retires from politics. “I will prepare for my defense in the ICC,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded speech released late Monday, in his first public …
Read More »Philippines to lift COVID travel ban on 10 countries including India
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is lifting a coronavirus ban on travelers from 10 countries including India, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia, the presidential spokesperson said on Saturday. The ban, introduced in April then expanded to more countries in July to prevent the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, …
Read More »Philippine health minister says no corruption in $1.3 bln COVID-19 funds
The Philippine health minister, facing questions over more than $1 billion in COVID-19 spending, denied on Saturday that any money was “stolen”, as his department vowed to account for every peso. The country is battling one of Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, and the spread of the virulent delta variant is …
Read More »Philippines orders children back indoors amid fears of virus surge
The Philippines sent millions of children back into lockdown Friday as hospitals prepared for a surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant ravaging neighboring countries. Nearly half of the 47 cases of the more virulent strain detected so far were locally acquired, the health department said, …
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