Tag: philippines

Philippines accuses Chinese boats of ‘dangerous’ actions in high seas medivac

  MANILA, June 7, 2024 (AFP) – As two Philippine vessels meet on the high seas to transfer a sick Filipino soldier, China Coast Guard boats shadow, block and bump them, according to video released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Friday. The incident happened last month during the medical evacuation of a soldier who was stationed on a grounded Philippine Navy vessel on Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine […]

Torrent of volcanic mudflow hits Philippine village

MANILA, June 5, 2024 (AFP) – Heavy rain washed volcanic mud and debris through a village in the central Philippines on Wednesday, two days after a nearby volcano erupted. Mount Kanlaon on Negros island exploded Monday evening, sending a plume of ash, rocks and gases five kilometres (three miles) into the sky. Images posted on Facebook and verified by AFP on Wednesday show a torrent of grey mud and rocks, known as cold lava flow, […]

Philippines says Chinese boats seized supplies airdropped to Filipino outpost

MANILA, June 4, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippine military said Tuesday that Chinese boats illegally “seized” food and medicine airdropped to a Filipino outpost in the South China Sea. The alleged incident happened on May 19 at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where Filipino troops are garrisoned on a grounded navy vessel to assert Manila’s claims to the waters. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea and there has been a series […]

Hundreds in emergency shelters after Philippine volcano erupts

MANILA, June 4, 2024 (AFP) – Hundreds of people sheltered in evacuation centres on Tuesday after a volcano erupted in the central Philippines. Mount Kanlaon on Negros island exploded for six minutes on Monday night, sending a plume of ash, rocks and gases five kilometres (three miles) into the sky. The state volcanology agency raised the alert level for the volcano from one to two on a scale of zero to five, warning more explosive […]

Alert level raised for Philippine volcano after ‘explosive eruption’: volcanology agency

By Pam Castro and Cecil Morella MANILA, June 3, 2024 (AFP) – The alert level for a Philippine volcano was raised Monday after an “explosive eruption” sent a plume of ash, gas and rocks five kilometres (three miles) into the sky, the volcanology agency said. Mount Kanlaon on the central island of Negros erupted for six minutes shortly before 7:00 pm (1100 GMT), prompting warnings for nearby residents to wear facemasks due the threat of […]

Philippines’ Marcos says US presence crucial to regional peace

By Satish Cheney and Martin Abbugao SINGAPORE, May 31, 2024 (AFP) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Friday that the presence of the United States was “crucial to regional peace”, as the Southeast Asian country faces growing Chinese pressure in waters off its coastline. Marcos has sought to deepen defence cooperation with the United States as he stands up to Chinese actions in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely. “China’s determining influence […]

Thousands flee as Philippine storm hits main island

MANILA, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – A severe storm battered the Philippines’ most populous island on Sunday, dumping heavy rain and causing flooding that forced more than 8,000 people to flee their homes. After making landfall on the central island of Samar late Friday, the first storm to hit the Philippines this year strengthened as it swept northwest to the main island of Luzon where it hovered near the capital Manila. Severe tropical storm Ewiniar, […]

Manila and Washington sign agreement to develop Philippines’ nuclear workforce

MANILA, May 21, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines and the United States agreed Tuesday to train Filipinos how to build and operate nuclear power plants, as the Southeast Asian country seeks to boost its electricity supply. The announcement comes after Manila and Washington struck a nuclear cooperation agreement in November that cleared a path for US investment to jumpstart atomic power in the energy-hungry Philippines. Under Tuesday’s deal, the Philippine Department of Energy and the […]

Philippines replaces its military commander for disputed waters

MANILA, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippine military said Saturday it has replaced a key commander overseeing forces in the South China Sea, including Filipino troops garrisoned on a disputed reef. Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr will replace Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos as chief of the Western Command on Palawan island, which is the closest Philippine landmass to the hotly contested Spratly Islands. The military said in a statement the move was part of […]

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 […]

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 […]