Tag: philippines

President Marcos says Philippines will ‘vigorously defend what is ours’

MANILA, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines will “vigorously defend what is ours”, President Ferdinand Marcos said on Saturday, as Manila’s maritime row with Beijing over the South China Sea escalates. Marcos told a Philippine Military Academy graduation ceremony that the Southeast Asian country faced “a blatant disregard of internationally accepted principles”. His remarks follow a series of incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs in the South China Sea that have […]

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Philippines to buy 5 Japan-made coast guard ships in $400 mn deal

MANILA, May 17, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines has agreed to buy five coast guard patrol ships from Japan in a deal worth more than $400 million, Manila said Friday, as the Southeast Asian country faces growing Chinese pressure in the South China Sea. Japan will loan the Philippines 64.38 billion yen ($413 million) to buy the five 97-metre Multi-Role Response Vessels and pay for the “development of the required support facilities”, the foreign ministry […]

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Philippine boat convoy won’t proceed to China-held reef: organisers

MANILA, May 16, 2024 (AFP) – A convoy of boats carrying Philippine civilians bearing supplies for Filipino fishers has abandoned plans to sail closer to a China-held reef off the Southeast Asian country, organisers said Thursday. The convoy set sail Wednesday to distribute fuel and food to fishers and assert Philippine rights in the disputed South China Sea. The trip comes two weeks after China Coast Guard vessels used water cannon against two Philippine government […]

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Philippines won’t use water cannon on Chinese ships: Marcos

MANILA, May 6, 2024 (AFP) – President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday the Philippines would not respond in kind to China’s deployment of water cannon against its vessels, ruling out the use of “offensive” equipment as Manila asserts its sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea. Beijing has dispatched hundreds of coast guard and other vessels to press its claims over most of the waterway despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal […]

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The heatwave baking parts of Asia

By Sara HUSSEIN BANGKOK, April 30, 2024 (AFP) – Large swaths of Asia are sweltering through a heatwave that has topped temperature records from Myanmar to the Philippines and forced millions of children to stay home from school. Here are some questions and answers about the extreme heat, which scientists warn will become more frequent and intense because of human-induced climate change. Where is affected? The heat has hit much of South and Southeast Asia, […]

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‘So hot you can’t breathe’: Extreme heat hits the Philippines

By Cecil MORELLA Extreme heat scorched the Philippines on Wednesday, forcing schools in some areas to suspend in-person classes and prompting warnings for people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors. The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions this year have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon. “It’s so hot you can’t breathe,” said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at […]

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US says ‘very, very concerned’ about Chinese actions in disputed sea

SYDNEY, April 9, 2024 (AFP) – The top US military officer in the Pacific on Tuesday said Washington was “very, very concerned” about Beijing’s recent “dangerous” actions in the disputed South China Sea, after confrontations with Philippine vessels. Speaking in Sydney, United States Indo-Pacific Command head Admiral John Aquilino referenced recent encounters between Chinese and Philippine boats around a remote shoal in the Spratly Islands. “I’m very concerned about what’s happening at the Second Thomas […]

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China conducts ‘combat patrols’ as US holds drills with allies in disputed waters

China conducted “combat patrols” Sunday in the South China Sea, its army said, the same day the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia held their first joint drills in the disputed waters. The maritime activities took place days before US President Joe Biden was due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan, with growing tensions over the hotly contested South China Sea on the agenda. Beijing’s People’s […]

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China conducts military drills in South China Sea

BEIJING, April 7, 2024 (AFP) – China conducted military “combat patrols” Sunday in the disputed South China Sea, its army said, the same day as joint drills by the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia. The announcement comes one day after defence chiefs from four countries including the Philippines — which has been engaged in several contentious maritime disputes with Beijing recently — said they would conduct joint drills Sunday in the area. Beijing’s […]

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Philippines, US, Australia, Japan to hold joint drills in disputed sea

MANILA, April 6, 2024 (AFP) – The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines will hold joint naval and air drills in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, their defence chiefs said in a statement, as they deepen ties to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the region. The exercise will take place in the disputed waterway — which Beijing claims almost entirely — days before US President Joe Biden is due to hold the […]

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