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 […]

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday reiterated that there is no deal to withdraw the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, and should any agreement exist, he rescinds it. “I’m not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its own ship, in this […]

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos defending or “making excuses” for China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea are “unpatriotic” and “traitors,” the spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday. “If you are a Filipino, whether in government or private sector, regardless of your politics, defending and making excuses for China’s aggressive behavior should […]

Former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the Philippines can follow the examples of Malaysia and Indonesia, which continued their survey and naval drills in their EEZ in the South China Sea, together with the United States and Australia, despite warnings from the Chinese Coast Guard. “We can have joint patrols with the US at […]

Former Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado on Wednesday said he was not aware of any Philippine commitment made to China to have the BRP Sierra Madre removed from Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. Mercado, who served in the Cabinet of the short-lived administration of then President Joseph Estrada, joined current officials in belying Beijing’s claims that Manila […]