SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos broke his silence on Wednesday, May 22, and denied forging an agreement with China on a “new model” to handle West Philippine Sea tensions as allegedly recorded in a wiretapped call. “I did not forge any agreement at the level and magnitude that will bind our two […]
SUMMARY From a promise to ride a jetski to the West Philippine Sea that turned into policies that bended to Beijing’s will, then a vow to be a “friend to all” that turned into a declaration that “Filipinos do not yield,” the Philippines has seen dramatic shifts in its policy and approach to handling our […]
SUMMARY It is easy to get lost in the fog of the word war between the Philippines and China. What is clear is this: China wants to take what isn’t theirs, primarily Ayungin Shoal. It’s their low-hanging fruit, the feature that they can occupy once the rusty and decaying BRP Sierra Madre collapses. That’s why the Chinese […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – A joint House panel has formally sought the explanation of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet officials for failing to attend a crucial hearing on West Philippine Sea issues. The House committee on national defense and security and the committee on West Philippine Sea slapped the show cause order against former defense […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ security sector on Monday, May 20, called on Filipino fisherfolk not to be afraid of the latest regulation of the China Coast Guard (CCG) on “Chinese waters.” The new directive would not have an effect because it has no legal basis, they said in a press conference. “Continue fishing […]
SUMMARY Baguio, the summer capital blessed with more pleasant weather than the rest of our boiling cities, felt some sting of heat last Saturday, May 18, from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The President, who’s also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, addressed 278 cadets at their graduation from the Philippine Military Academy […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Between 2017 and 2019, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) dutifully compiled images that, according to them, prove how destructive Chinese activities have been in an already fragile marine environment. These images were submitted to the country’s highest offices under former president Rodrigo Duterte: the Office of the President, the National Intelligence […]
SUMMARY Nakaaaliw ang mga memes na nagsulputan tungkol kay Bamban Mayor Alice Guo – indikasyon ng pagkaasar ng publiko sa hindi kapani-paniwalang kuwento ng buhay niya – or more accurately, sa kasalatan ng kuwento ng buhay niya. “Your Honor, hindi ko na po maalala,” ang gasgas na gasgas na tugon ni Alice Guo sa mga […]
SUMMARY “Hindi kami aalis dito. Sa amin ito,” declared Maribel Belono, a resident of Pag-asa Island in the municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan province. (We’re not leaving this area. This is ours.) Belono, 49, first set foot in the island in 2002. She just wanted to visit the area. But little did she know that she […]
SUMMARY What if, as John Lennon wrote in his classic song “Imagine,” there were no countries? What would the situation then be like in the South China Sea and in the West Philippine Sea? I was reminded of the lyrics to Lennon’s famous song and its meaning after watching a China Global Television Network (CGTN) […]