MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he has accepted China’s version of the Terms of Reference (TOR) on joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea, calling it “superior to our own.” On Twitter last Tuesday, Locsin said “everything going well” in negotiations for joint exploration and that […]
On national TV and radio, presidential spokesman Sal Panelo tried to belittle the story of the 22 Filipino fishermen whose boat was rammed and sunk without warning by a Chinese ship, which then fled the scene. Panelo told Ted Failon during a live interview over DZMM and Channel 26 that certain “facts” on the […]
THE US State Department has approved the possible sale of arms worth $2.2billion (£1.8billion) to Taiwan despite furious Chinese objections to the deal. The sale will involve 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks, 250 Stinger missiles and the equipment required to operate them. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency told the Congress on Monday the possible sale […]
Politics is swayed by the tempo and spirit of the times. Administrations in power, no matter how visionary, would always be compelled to act on the demands of the present. The Duterte administration, at the beginning of its term, presented itself as a cut different from past governments. The rhetoric of pursuing an “independent […]
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday issued another challenge to the United States to keep China off the disputed areas of South China Sea, asking the western superpower to deploy its Seventh Fleet in the disputed territories. “That’s why I have a proposal,” the President, speaking partly in Filipino, told reporters in Malacañang. […]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dared the US on Monday to send the entire US 7th Fleet into the South China Sea to confront China if it really wants to drive Chinese forces from the disputed waterway. His comments follow another speech in which he accused the US of “egging on” the Philippines and using […]
Fighter and bomber planes launched from reefs that China reportedly equipped with missile systems and military facilities have within their range not just the entire Philippines but nearby countries as well. According to Chino Gaston’s report on “24 Oras”, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said aircraft from Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs may also […]
US OFFICIALS savaged Beijing for carrying out a “truly disturbing” missile test in the hotly disputed South China Sea. The Pentagon issued the ardent message to its counterparts in China following the Chinese government conducting ballistic missile testing in the waters. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said one anti-ship weapon was […]
Just before midnight on June 9, a Chinese fishing vessel rammed and partially sank a wooden Filipino fishing boat, the F/B Gem-Vir 1, then anchored at Reed Bank in the South China Sea. After the collision, the Chinese vessel reportedly turned off its signal lights and sailed away as the Filipino boat sank. The 22 […]
The agreement between President Duterte and China’s President Xi Jinping allowing Chinese fishermen into the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is not only unconstitutional but also lopsided and could lead to a rapid drop in Philippine fish supply, according to Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. In a statement on Thursday night, Carpio said […]