Philippine police pledged on Thursday to track down nearly 2,000 ex-prisoners including convicted murderers and rapists who were let out early for good behaviour, in some cases years ago.Revelations in recent weeks about the inmates’ release have sparked outrage in the Philippines, with critics accusing authorities of gross incompetence and possibly corruption.“I have immediately directed all police units nationwide to receive and account for (the ex-prisoners),” national police chief Oscar A

The top official of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) in the Philippines recently told local media that the Duterte administration remains committed to ensuring the safety of journalists in the country.

Beijing told visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that its position on the South China Sea was not up for negotiation, a spokesman for the leader said Friday.China claims most of the contested sea, including waters close to Philippine shores, and has rejected a United Nations (UN)-backed international tribunal ruling that said its assertion to the Sea is without legal basis.Duterte is under growing pressure at home to challenge China – after largely setting aside the standoff for yea

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose rape jokes have sparked outrage in the past, drew fresh flak Tuesday after signing a law against sexual harassment, with campaigners saying his role as the "misogynist-in-chief" would make implementation challenging.Duterte, who has himself been accused of sexual harassment on multiple occasions, signed the law that prohibits behaviour such as catcalling and sexist slurs in April, according to the text released on Monday. The 74-y

A recent report has pitted the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, positioning it next to the likes of conflict-ridden Syria and Yemen.The report, entitled “Fact Sheet: Civilians in Conflict” by Sam Jones and Melissa Pavlik from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), placed India as the most dangerous country, with 1,385 violent events that targeted civilians.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's narcotics crackdown has become a "systematic" campaign of killing, Amnesty International alleged on Monday, urging the United Nations (UN) to launch a probe into thousands of deaths.The drug war is Duterte's signature initiative and is heavily supported by many Filipinos, but the nightly slaying of suspects by police and masked gunmen has provoked international condemnation.In a speech just hours after Amnesty issued its report attack

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail critics if they try to impeach him, as he faces accusations of defending Beijing after a boat crash in the disputed South China Sea.Duterte enjoys firm popular backing but his setting aside of the standoff with China over the resource-rich waterway is criticised as weakness by some in the Philippines.The issue has flared up since a Chinese fishing trawler hit and sank a Filipino boat on 9 June near Reed Bank, an area that is within M

The United States (US) is projecting “strategic confusion” in the South China Sea, the Philippines’ top diplomat said, prompting the Southeast Asian nation to deepen its ties with China.President Rodrigo Duterte prefers China’s offer of loans and investments in the absence of a clearer stance from the US in the disputed sea amid growing rivalry between the two nations, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said."China’s offer of a strategic partnership is a bit more attract

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's allies were poised for victory in midterm polls, unofficial results showed Tuesday, signalling firm approval of his rule and clearing a path for his most controversial plans.Duterte's deadly crackdown on narcotics has drawn international censure, but is central to the populist appeal that has buoyed his remarkable popularity among Filipinos since taking the presidency in 2016.In Monday's vote, administration loyalist candidates for the Sen

Duterte Youth, a right-wing youth organisation supporting the administration of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, recently promised that it would push for the revival of the death penalty for heinous crimes if it wins a seat in the House of Representatives in the coming 2019 midterm elections.