Tag: philippines

Philippines thwarts cyber attacks on Marcos, government agencies

MANILA, Feb 6, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines has thwarted thousands of “sophisticated” cyberattacks targeting the websites of President Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippine Coast Guard and other government agencies, an official said Tuesday. Hackers began the attacks last year and an investigation was underway to determine if the perpetrators were based in China, undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) told a congressional hearing. Dy said the attackers used […]

Death toll from Philippine landslides, floods rises to 14

MANILA, Feb 3, 2024 (AFP) – The death toll from landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain in the southern Philippines in the past week has risen to 14, official tallies showed Saturday. Rain has pounded parts of Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island, on and off for weeks and forced tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters. At least 10 people died in recent days in the mountainous gold mining province of Davao de […]

Vietnam, Philippines boost South China Sea ties amid China row

Vietnam and the Philippines agreed on Tuesday to boost coastguard cooperation in the South China Sea, as Manila tussles with Beijing over a hotly disputed reef. China claims almost all of the strategic waterway in full, but the Philippines, Vietnam and several other countries claim various islands, islets, reefs and shoals. Tensions have flared recently between Manila and Beijing over a series of confrontations between vessels from both countries, in particular around the Second Thomas […]

Seven killed in Philippine landslide

MANILA, Jan 19, 2024 (AFP) – At least seven people were killed when a landslide hit a house in the southern Philippines on Thursday, a disaster official said, with the death toll expected to rise. The incident happened in the morning in a mountainous gold mining region of Davao de Oro province on Mindanao island, where heavy rain has triggered flooding and landslides this week. A family of eight — including six children — had […]

China, Philippines agree to talk more on South China Sea flare-ups

BEIJING, Jan 18, 2024 (AFP) – Chinese and Philippine officials have agreed on the need for closer dialogue to deal with “maritime emergencies” in the South China Sea, including in the hotly contested Second Thomas Shoal, Beijing said. Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the waterway, but relations sharply deteriorated recently over a series of incidents involving vessels from both countries. Confrontations were among their most intense around the […]

Philippines to upgrade outposts in disputed South China Sea

MANILA, Jan 15, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines will upgrade outposts in waters off its coast and acquire more ships, its military chief said Monday, as the country seeks to push back against China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the waterway, but relations sharply deteriorated recently over a series of incidents involving vessels from both countries. Philippine military chief General […]

Philippines to upgrade outposts in disputed South China Sea

MANILA, Jan 15, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines will upgrade outposts in waters off its coast and acquire more ships, its military chief said Monday, as the country seeks to push back against China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the waterway, but relations sharply deteriorated recently over a series of incidents involving vessels from both countries. Philippine military chief General […]

Mother of death row Filipina begs Indonesia president to free her

MANILA (AFP) – The mother of a Filipino drug trafficker on death row in Indonesia begged the country’s president to free her daughter on Wednesday. The plea came a day after the Philippines made a fresh appeal for clemency for Mary Jane Veloso, who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin and later sentenced to death. The mother-of-two won a last-minute reprieve from the firing […]

Filipinos in Beirut urged to exercise caution after security incident

The Philippine Embassy in Beirut is urging Filipinos in Lebanon to exercise extreme caution following a security incident in the Dahye district on January 2nd, 2024. On January 2, a strike attributed to Israel in the southern suburbs of Beirut killed senior Hamas official, Saleh al- Arouri, raising fears of an extension of the conflict into Lebanon. The incident poses a significant threat to civilian safety, prompting the embassy to issue a travel advisory. Filipino […]

China slams ‘provocative’ US moves in South China Sea as both sides conduct drills

BEIJING, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – China on Thursday slammed what it called “provocative” moves by the United States and its ally the Philippines in the South China Sea, as both sides held drills in the disputed waters. Warships from China and the US conducted rival exercises in the sea this week amid heightened tensions involving US ally the Philippines. Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command Wednesday said a two-day deployment of its […]

China holds navy, air patrols in South China Sea

BEIJING, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – Chinese and US warships were in the South China Sea on Thursday, conducting rival exercises in the disputed waters amid heightened tensions involving US ally the Philippines. Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command a day before said a two-day deployment of its navy and air force, scheduled to end today, was carrying out “routine patrols” in the sea. It did not mention where exactly the patrols took […]