Latest Philippines government News

Philippines says it will remove any barrier China installs in the disputed South China Sea

Sep. 27, 2023 06:12 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Filipino forces would dismantle any floating barrier that China’s coast guard may install in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine admiral said Wednesday after Manila infuriated China by removing one such obstruction in a contested shoal. ...

Philippine coast guard says it removed barrier placed by China's coast guard in disputed shoal

Sep. 25, 2023 23:34 PM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine coast guard said it has complied with a presidential order to remove a floating barrier placed by China’s coast guard to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering a lagoon in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine...

Nobel winner Maria Ressa acquitted of tax evasion though she faces 2 more legal cases

Sep. 12, 2023 03:16 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa was acquitted of a final tax evasion charge Tuesday though she still faces two remaining legal cases she believes the former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte used to muzzle her critical reporting. Ressa and her...

Australia and the Philippines strengthen their ties as South China Sea disputes heat up

Sep. 08, 2023 07:24 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Australia and the Philippines elevated their seven-decade ties to a strategic level Friday to broaden an alliance underpinned by their rejection of China’s increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea. Australian Prime Minister...

In Southeast Asia, Kamala Harris is at the center of White House efforts to counterbalance China

Sep. 07, 2023 14:29 PM EDT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — It took more than a day of flying, including two refueling stops, for Vice President Kamala Harris to reach this year’s summit of Southeast Asian countries. And once she arrived, she had less than eight minutes of public speaking time during two meetings. ...

China's premier is on a charm offensive as ASEAN summit protests Beijing's aggression at sea

Sep. 06, 2023 12:08 PM EDT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — In talks with Southeast Asian leaders Wednesday in the Indonesian capital, Chinese Premier Li Qiang underscored his country's importance as the world’s second-biggest economy and as the top trading partner of the region. Countering renewed alarm over...

Myanmar won't be allowed to lead Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, in blow to generals

Sep. 05, 2023 10:57 AM EDT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders decided Tuesday that Myanmar won’t take over the rotating leadership of their regional bloc as scheduled in 2026, in the latest blow to efforts by its ruling generals to gain international recognition after violently seizing power in 2021. ...

Filipino who helped tame insurgency and pro-poor Indian cancer doctor among Magsaysay awardees

Aug. 31, 2023 11:35 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine university professor who became a peace negotiator and helped ease decades of Muslim insurgency violence in her country and an Indian doctor, who chose to work in a far-flung rural region to reach poor cancer patients desperately in need of medical help...

Bodies of 3 US Marines killed in Australian aircraft crash retrieved from crash site

Aug. 30, 2023 21:04 PM EDT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The bodies of three U.S. Marines killed in a tiltrotor aircraft crash during a training exercise in Australia were retrieved from the crash scene while another Marine remained in critical condition, the Marine Corps said Tuesday. Those killed were from...

8 US Marines remain in a hospital after a fiery aircraft crash killed 3 during drills in Australia

Aug. 28, 2023 07:54 AM EDT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Eight U.S. Marines remained in a hospital in the Australian north coast city of Darwin on Monday after they were injured in a fiery crash of a tiltrotor aircraft that killed three of their colleagues on an island. All 20 survivors were flown from Melville...