News
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PH says China ‘elevated’ tension in West Philippine Sea with Panatag Shoal harassment
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea said Wednesday, May 1, that the China Coast Guard’s use of “jet stream pressure” in their water cannons elevated tensions in the West Philippine Sea. Three China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels pointed their water cannons against two Philippine vessels en route to Panatag Shoal or Bajo…
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IN PHOTOS: After China’s water cannons, BFAR brings supplies to fisherfolk in Bajo de Masinloc
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – In the pitch-black darkness of the West Philippine Sea, personnel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) brought supplies to Filipino fisherfolk in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc late Tuesday, April 30. Resupply and assistance activities went on until evening on Tuesday and will resume on Wednesday, May 1. The BFAR aims to…
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Countries criticize China after latest water cannon use in Bajo de Masinloc
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Envoys of different foreign countries, including treaty-ally the United States, criticized China for “disrupting” a Philippine mission to Bajo de Masinloc, a feature in the West Philippine Sea just over 120 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales on Tuesday, April 30. The European Union’s top envoy in Manila criticized Beijing’s behavior which he said is…
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PCG reports damage after China uses water cannons in Bajo de Masinloc
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The China Coast Guard on Tuesday, April 30, used water cannons against two Philippine vessels in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), a feature some 100 nautical miles off the coast off the coast Zambales. In a statement to media, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said China Coast Guard…
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View from Manila: Propaganda masters? China drags Teodoro, Año in latest Ayungin narrative
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The latest from China in its continuing narrative on the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) is that no less than Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año had entered into an “internal understanding” and a “new model” with Beijing to keep the peace in the shoal. But Teodoro and Año branded this…
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[Vantage Point] Xi’s flotilla blocks energy development in South China Sea
SUMMARY On May 15, a convoy of about 100 civilian fishing boats will sail to Scarborough Shoal from Zambales to install buoys, a symbolic assertion that the shoal is ours. Two mother boats will be in the frontline, with the civilian mission aiming to invite foreign observers while delivering essential supplies for the fishermen operating within the western part of…
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Philippines denies deal with China over disputed South China Sea shoal
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Saturday, April 27, denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda. A spokesperson at China’s embassy in Manila said on April 18 that the two had agreed early this year to a “new model” in…
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Philippines denies deal with China over disputed South China Sea shoal
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Saturday, April 27, denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda. A spokesperson at China’s embassy in Manila said on April 18 that the two had agreed early this year to a “new model” in…
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India-made BrahMos missiles are finally in the Philippines
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Over two months after the Philippines’ National Security Council promised the military’s entry into the supersonic age, all batteries of the BrahMos missile system have arrived in the Philippines, according to Indian media. Delhi-based Hindustan Times, citing sources, said the first batch of the missile system arrived on April 18 and the fourth arrived on April…
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Malacañang flags deepfake audio of Marcos ordering military attack
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Tuesday, April 23, warned against a “audio deepfake” that made it appear that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the military “to act against a particular foreign country.” “It has come to the attention of the Presidential Communications Office that there is video content posted on a popular video streaming platform…
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PH expects China to ‘behave properly’ during Balikatan in West Philippine Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Navy said on Tuesday, April 23, that it expected Chinese vessels to “behave properly” during a joint sail in the West Philippine Sea in late April for Exercise Balikatan 2024. The navies of the Philippines, the US, and France, will venture into the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines in the South China Sea…
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PH expects China to ‘behave properly’ during Balikatan in West Philippine Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Navy said on Tuesday, April 23, that it expected Chinese vessels to “behave properly” during a joint sail in the West Philippine Sea in late April for Exercise Balikatan 2024. The navies of the Philippines, the US, and France, will venture into the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines in the South China Sea…