The Philippines expects that its existing defense arrangements with the United States will survive the Trump administration’s tumultuous early months, Manila’s ambassador to the United States said yesterday. Speaking at a forum with foreign correspondents in Manila, Jose Manuel Romualdez stated that existing defense arrangements between the two security allies,Continue Reading
Philippine authorities celebrated the country’s removal last week from the money-laundering “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), but some civil society groups described it as a “Pyrrhic victory” because of the filing of trumped-up terrorism financing cases against activists and community-based organizations. The Philippine government has workedContinue Reading
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has removed the Philippines from its money-laundering “grey list” of countries due to improvements in its systems for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. FATF, which describes itself as a “global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog,” first added the Philippines to its greyContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s military said it warned and drove away three Philippine aircraft that “illegally intruded” into the airspace near the Spratly Islands on Thursday (Feb 20). There was no immediate comment from the Philippine embassy in Beijing on the Chinese military’s statement issued on Friday. China’s Southern Theatre Command accusedContinue Reading
MANILA: Philippine police arrested more than 450 people in a raid on an allegedly Chinese-run offshore gaming operator in Manila, the country’s anti-organised crime commission has said. Initial interrogations suggested the suburban site had been operating as a scam centre, targeting victims in China and India with sports betting andContinue Reading
The Indo-Pacific remains a shining beacon of hope in the United States’ otherwise dim foreign policy predictions. However, just like during President Donald Trump’s first term, securing U.S. interests through trade and reshaping international partnerships accordingly will remain a priority. To ensure U.S. trade, critical military, and technology supply chains,Continue Reading
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) accused the Chinese navy of “aggressive and escalatory actions,” when a navy helicopter flew close to a Philippine aircraft patrolling a contested shoal in the South China Sea. In a statement, PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said an aircraft from the Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticContinue Reading
A senior Philippine police official has filed a criminal complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte over comments he made during a campaign rally last week, at which he jokingly threatened to kill 15 incumbent senators to make way for his party’s own slate of candidates. The complaint against Duterte wasContinue Reading
The first week of the mid-term election campaign in the Philippines was marked by a vicious exchange of words between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former President Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos minced no words in highlighting the notorious legacy of his predecessor when he introduced the senatorial candidates endorsed by hisContinue Reading
The Philippines military is keen on acquiring more anti-ship missiles and at least two submarines as part of its ongoing modernization program, the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said yesterday. In a speech to leading business figures in Taguig City yesterday, Gen. Romeo BrawnerContinue Reading
