After the exchange of words between Manila and Beijing on the unfortunate incident in the South China Sea (SCS) involving the Philippines and China on 16 November 2021 where three Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels had fired water cannons on two Philippine supply boats have subsided, the area of Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal or Rén'ài Jiāo) is now quiet, and the supply run is back to normal. Thanks to the quiet diplomacy and negotiations through bilateral diplomatic channels

The son and namesake of the Philippines' former dictator Ferdinand Marcos said Tuesday he took a cocaine test after President Rodrigo Duterte accused an unnamed presidential candidate of using the illegal drug.Marcos Jr, who is among the frontrunners seeking to succeed Duterte in 2022, said in a statement he was tested Monday and had submitted the result to three police agencies.He told a local broadcaster he had tested negative."I really don't feel that I am the one being allu

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday condemned the latest flare-up in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) after Chinese coastguard ships fired water cannon at Filipino boats. Duterte made the remarks at an Asian regional summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who vowed his country would "never seek hegemony, and certainly not bully the small".China claims almost all of the waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, with competin

The South China Sea (SCS), one of the most in-demand waterways in the world, is the object of contention of several claimant states with overlapping territorial and maritime sovereignty and sovereign rights claims over the disputed waters. The dispute is still unresolved today and can be dated back to the 1950s.The six-primary claimant states of the contested waters of the SCS are China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has suspended its investigation into suspected rights abuses committed under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" following a request from Manila.The Hague-based court in September authorised a probe of the campaign that has left thousands of people dead, saying it resembled an illegitimate and systematic attack on civilians.Duterte was elected in 2016 on a campaign promise to get rid of the Philippines' drug problem,

The Philippines will soon welcome back foreign tourists, the government said Friday, as it prepares a partial re-opening to vaccinated travellers 20 months after closing its borders to contain the coronavirus.Tourism operators across the archipelago nation famed for its beaches and dive spots have been devastated by a plunge in international visitors and restrictions on domestic travel since the start of the pandemic.The government's COVID-19 taskforce has "approved in principle&quo

The Philippines on Thursday accused Chinese Coast Guard vessels of firing water cannon at boats delivering supplies to Filipino marines in the disputed South China Sea, and ordered Beijing to "back off".Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said he had expressed "outrage, condemnation and protest" to Beijing over the incident, which he said happened Tuesday as the Philippine boats were travelling to Second Thomas Shoal in the contested Spratly Islands."Fortunately, no one

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday filed to contest the Senate elections next year, seeking a way to remain in politics while facing an international probe into his deadly drug war.Duterte, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second six-year term, submitted his candidacy at the Commission on Elections office, minutes before a deadline to join the race. A lawyer submitted the paperwork on behalf of the president, according to documents seen by AFP, quelling spec

Thousands of children in the Philippines were allowed to return to classrooms Monday for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as a pilot re-opening of schools got under way.While nearly every country in the world has already partially or fully re-opened their schools to face-to-face learning, the Philippines has kept them closed since March 2020.Kindergarten teacher Zyrex Damayo said he was "a bit nervous" as he greeted eight of his students at the Siocon Elem

This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations.