Latest Ferdinand Marcos Jr. News
Philippine troops kill 10 communist rebels in a clash, in the latest blow to decades-long insurgency
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops killed at least 10 suspected communist guerrillas in a clash in a remote northern area in the latest blow to a decades-old insurgency that has weakened considerably, with only about a thousand guerrillas remaining, military and security officials said...
Former Philippine President Duterte plans to run for Senate next year, daughter says
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to run for the Senate in mid-term elections next year, his daughter and the country's vice president said Tuesday. When Duterte's stormy presidential term ended in 2022, he said he would retire from...
Philippines says it won't back down, but won't start a war, after clash with Chinese Coast Guard
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The president of the Philippines said Sunday his country would not yield to “any foreign power” after Chinese forces injured Filipino navy personnel and damaged at least two military boats with machetes, axes and hammers in a clash in the disputed South China Sea,...
Philippines won't invoke mutual defense treaty with US after Chinese confrontation at disputed shoal
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines said Friday it has no plan to invoke its mutual defense treaty with the United States after the Chinese coast guard reportedly rammed, boarded and used machetes and axes to damage two Philippine navy boats in a chaotic faceoff that injured Filipino navy...
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte resigning from posts in Marcos' Cabinet as alliance flounders
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is resigning from her posts of education secretary and head of an anti-insurgency body, as her whirlwind alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. unraveled over key differences, including efforts to arrest a religious leader...
A growing Filipino diaspora means plenty of celebration worldwide for Philippine Independence Day
In the Philippines — where Spanish and later U.S. colonial rule persisted for nearly four centuries — June 12 is the real Independence Day. That date in 1898 was the pivotal moment when the island nation first made a bold move for autonomy. Ahead of this year's holiday in...
Zelenskyy in Manila to promote peace summit, which he says China and Russia are trying to undermine
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Philippine president on Monday in a rare Asian trip to urge regional leaders to attend a Swiss-organized global peace summit on the war in Ukraine that he accuses Russia, with China’s help, of trying to undermine. ...
Chinese defense minister accuses US of causing friction with its support for Taiwan and Philippines
SINGAPORE (AP) — China's defense minister on Sunday acknowledged the importance of newly renewed military-to-military communications with the United States as tensions escalate in the Asia-Pacific, while at the same time accusing Washington of causing the friction with its support for Taiwan and...
US defense secretary says war with China neither imminent nor unavoidable, stressing need for talks
SINGAPORE (AP) — United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him...
Top US and Chinese defense officials seek to restore communications as tensions rise in Indo-Pacific
SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart for more than an hour Friday, as the two countries seek to repair lines of communications between their militaries that could be critical as tensions continue to rise between the two in the Indo-Pacific region....