MANILA, Philippines — China may end up occupying more areas in the West Philippine Sea if it would be allowed to unilaterally rehabilitate coral reefs in the disputed region, a maritime expert warned. Jay Batongbacal, director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said China’s announcement that it would […]
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is facing mounting pressure at home to be more robust in his response to Chinese aggression as tensions between the two countries surge. Beijing and Manila have found themselves locked in a bitter diplomatic row over the ownership of the South China Sea, with both countries claiming a right to the […]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 27) — President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to jail those who will attempt to impeach him over the Chinese fishing in Philippine waters. “I-impeach ako? Kulungin ko silang lahat. Subukan ninyo [Impeach me? I will jail you all. Try me],” he said after Senator Bong Go’s oath-taking late Thursday. “Do that […]
President Duterte’s critics are pushing for an “aggressive, isolationist” policy against China that would be “dangerous” for the Philippines, Malacañang said on Thursday. The Palace took a swipe at Duterte’s detractors, defending him for calling Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio “stupid” for invoking the Constitution in his allowing the Chinese to fish in […]
MANILA (UPDATE) – Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Thursday said he sees no problem with President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that Chinese fishers can venture into waters where Manila has exclusive rights over natural resources. “He’s the President. The buck stops with him. If it’s wrong or right, it’s his accountability,” Sotto told ABS-CBN […]
MANILA, Philippines — The foreign policy of the Philippines should not depend on the personal friendships of the President, Senator Richard Gordon said on Thursday. “Our foreign policy and our national interest, cannot rely on personal friendships,” Gordon said during a weekly press forum at the Senate in Pasay City. Gordon’s reaction came after President […]
OUR SEA Members of the fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, who denounced President Duterte for saying the boat-ramming on June 9 near Recto Bank was just a small accident, will likely return to Mendiola, Manila, to rally against his policy of allowing the Chinese to fish in our country’s exclusive economic […]
I have always maintained that our economic future lies with China which is poised to become the world’s largest economy with a per capita income of $22,000 by 2028. But it doesn’t mean we should eschew our historical and economic relations with the people who have stood with us before for a longer period – […]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could be impeached for appearing to give Chinese fishing boats a green light to enter South China Sea waters that are internationally recognized as lying within Manila’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), analysts and officials said Wednesday. Duterte, an ally of China’s president, suggested earlier this week that due to a need […]
MANILA – Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday said the United States must keep China in check in the South China Sea in order to maintain the “balance of power” in the region, as the Asian power continues to assert its dominance over other claimants in the resources-rich waterway. Lacson had earlier called on the Philippines […]