News
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[Vantage Point] The Manchurian candidates
SUMMARY Just when I thought that the Senate inquiry about the supposed “gentleman’s agreement” with China on the maritime conduct in Ayungin Shoal couldn’t get any murkier, here comes former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea claiming that the supposed agreement was made in 2013, halfway into the presidency of the late of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. His allegation – an obvious defense…
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PRIMER: Marcos’ state visit to Brunei, defense summit speech in Singapore in May 2024
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is making back-to-back visits to the Philippines’ neighbors in Southeast Asia next week, in response to invitations sent by leaders of these countries. The first stop will be Brunei on May 28 to 29, followed by a trip to Singapore until the 31st. Here are the things you need to know about…
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Teodoro slams China Coast Guard regulation as ‘provocation’
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Speaking before officers of the Philippine Navy, Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro on Friday, May 24, criticized China’s newest coast guard regulation as a “provocation,” amid rising tensions between Manila and Beijing. “I believe what a provocation is, is the roguish and irresponsible threat to detain quote-unquote ‘trespassers’ in what is claimed as internal waters, but is…
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FACT CHECK: Marcos did not declare war against China
SUMMARY Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared war against China. Why we fact-checked this: The video bearing the claim has 7,700 views, 551 likes, and 94 comments. The YouTube page that uploaded the video, which has 216,000 subscribers, is notorious for spreading disinformation. Text on the video’s thumbnail implies that Marcos has declared war: “PBBM nagdeklara na! Naglabas na…
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No reason to probe Wescom chief over call with China embassy, says Navy
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Navy’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea said on Friday, May 24, there was no reason to investigate a Naval commander embroiled in controversy over a wiretapped conversation with the defense attache of Chinese embassy in Manila. Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, newly-appointed Naval Inspector General and the Navy’s concurrent spokesperson for the West Philippine…
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DFA chief: Where’s China’s proof of West Philippine Sea agreements?
SUMMARY China can claim the existence of bilateral agreements as much as it wants but without proof and without consent from the Philippines, that’s all they are – claims. “[China] says there are agreements. But where? Show us. I don’t recall ever having discussed proposals to have such agreements,” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Wednesday, May 22, during a…
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Philippines says China to blame for ‘choppy’ bilateral ties
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – As a Senate panel probed the wiretapping of a call between a Philippine naval commander and a Chinese diplomat, on Wednesday, May 22, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo described the current state of bilateral relations between Manila and Beijing as “a bit choppy.” “I would say they’re a bit choppy. There are many issues which have come…
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Sacked Wescom chief Carlos denies agreement with China in wiretapped call
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos broke his silence on Wednesday, May 22, and denied forging an agreement with China on a “new model” to handle West Philippine Sea tensions as allegedly recorded in a wiretapped call. “I did not forge any agreement at the level and magnitude that will bind our two countries for the long term…
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Agreements and disagreements on the West Philippine Sea, explained
SUMMARY From a promise to ride a jetski to the West Philippine Sea that turned into policies that bended to Beijing’s will, then a vow to be a “friend to all” that turned into a declaration that “Filipinos do not yield,” the Philippines has seen dramatic shifts in its policy and approach to handling our superpower neighbor China. Manila’s new-found…
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Why Duterte failed to tilt the Philippines towards China
SUMMARY It is easy to get lost in the fog of the word war between the Philippines and China. What is clear is this: China wants to take what isn’t theirs, primarily Ayungin Shoal. It’s their low-hanging fruit, the feature that they can occupy once the rusty and decaying BRP Sierra Madre collapses. That’s why the Chinese embassy here has been on…
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House asks ex-Duterte officials to explain absence during probe on China secret deal
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – A joint House panel has formally sought the explanation of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet officials for failing to attend a crucial hearing on West Philippine Sea issues. The House committee on national defense and security and the committee on West Philippine Sea slapped the show cause order against former defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana, former national…
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View from Manila: Philippines downplays China’s new coast guard regulations as just ‘scare tactics’
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ security sector on Monday, May 20, called on Filipino fisherfolk not to be afraid of the latest regulation of the China Coast Guard (CCG) on “Chinese waters.” The new directive would not have an effect because it has no legal basis, they said in a press conference. “Continue fishing in the West Philippine Sea.…