President Marcos has recognized Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officers who were at the frontline of several incidents, including those against China Coast Guard, in the West Philippine Sea. Marcos led the awarding of Coast Guard officers during the 122nd founding anniversary of the PCG on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The PCG officers were honored for their […]

Over the course of history, the South China Sea (SCS) has been a region marked by turbulent tides, fraught with numerous disputes and assertive displays of power. However, recent years have seen an unprecedented surge in global interest surrounding these waters, as China escalates its maritime ambitions to a level that often encroaches upon the […]

The Philippines and Canada have signed an agreement that will allow Ottawa to help Manila monitor its coastal waters and the high seas using a Canadian satellite surveillance program, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. Canada’s Dark Vessel program uses satellite technology to locate and track ships illegally fishing anywhere even if they […]

If you have facts on your side, pound the facts; if you have law on your side, pound the law; if you have neither facts nor law, pound the table. Communist China has neither facts nor law on its side on the Spratlys, Scarborough and Ayungin issue. It’s not only pounding the table but aggressing […]

Maritime security is a critical issue for Southeast Asia and the geopolitical underpinnings of this topic cannot be underestimated. This is especially the case for small powers as they navigate a maritime domain that is caught in the middle of — and driven by — great power politics. While maritime security in Southeast Asia is […]

MANILA – “With this show of force and active engagement of our allies and partners, ‘Sama Sama’ transcends mere military exercises,” Philippine Navy Chief Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci said during the recent opening of large-scale naval exercises with allied nations in the South China Sea. As many as 1,800 participants from the United States, a […]

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has an ongoing military exchange program with China, as confirmed by Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino. Even the Philippine National Police Academy is sending cadets to the Beijing Military Academy and other training institutions of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Read More–>‘AFP training in China […]

ABOARD BRP SIERRA MADRE, Spratly Islands (AP) — On board the crumbling carcass of this World War II-era warship, Filipino marine 1st Lt. Mike Pelotera and his eight men make their way to a mid-level deck to raise the Philippine flag up a leaning pole and then salute it. Across the calm, turquoise waters, two […]

MANILA, Philippines — China on Tuesday reiterated its earlier claim that the Philippines had promised to take out the World War II-era warship it had grounded since 1999 at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal — prompting an official to assert the contrary and question Beijing’s credibility about its claim. Beijing also repeated its exhortation to Manila […]

A former spokesman of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte has dared China to release any document that would prove its claim that Manila had already agreed to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from a reef that Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands. The BRP Sierra Madre — deliberately grounded in 1999 in an […]