SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The coalition that tried to lead a civilian mission to features in the West Philippine Sea in late 2023 is going at it again, this time planning a mission to Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc which may include international observers. Atin Ito – composed of Akbayan Party, the Philippine Rural […]
SUMMARY There is one thing that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can agree on at any given time: the importance of ASEAN centrality, or the notion that the bloc must be the “dominant regional platform to overcome common challenges and engage with external powers.” And there’s another thing the 10 members can agree […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asserted that his administration has not turned down any suggestion raised by China in managing the escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea. “We have not rejected any proposal that China made to us, but the premise is something we question,” he said during a joint press […]
SUMMARY At least once a month, when the Philippine military and the Philippine Coast Guard voyage to Ayungin Shoal for a mission to bring new troops and supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre, both Beijing and Manila are quick to issue statements on the inevitable tensions out in open sea. Confrontations, including one in early […]
SUMMARY Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sent China away from the West Philippine Sea following reports of Chinese presence in Bajo de Masinloc. Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube channel with 384,000 subscribers posted a video on February 28, which has gained 994 likes, 37,430 views, and 227 comments as of writing. The video’s […]
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 6, said it is not the time to invoke the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, even after four Navy personnel sustained minor injuries from actions of the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea. “I do not think that it […]
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – Speaking before fellow leaders and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on the bloc to see conflicts not just through the lens of major power rivalry but as “direct challenges to the sovereignty of independent states.” […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Wednesday, March 6, accused China of “deliberately stirring up trouble” in the South China Sea. Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for a Manila task force on South China Sea, also said China is “maliciously inciting hype” while reiterating the Philippines will not be deterred from exercising its maritime rights. He […]
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – The United States on Wednesday, March 6 (late Tuesday, March 5 in Washington DC), affirmed that attacks on the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are covered by the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty that binds Washington and Manila. “The United States stands with our ally the Philippines following the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) provocative actions against lawful Philippine […]
MANILA, Philippines – The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) is holding a press conference on Wednesday, March 6, about the recent collision between Philippine and Chinese vessels at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The collision resulted in “minor structural damage” on a Philippine Coast Guard ship, while a separate […]