SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Days after China bared a supposed agreement with the Philippine military’s Western Command (Wescom) to manage tensions at the West Philippine Sea, its commander, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, went on leave. The military confirmed on Tuesday, May 7, that Carlos has gone on “personal leave.” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Padilla however […]
SUMMARY LAOAG CITY, Philippines – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, May 7, that no Cabinet-level official in the Marcos administration has agreed to “any Chinese proposal pertaining to the Ayungin Shoal.” The statement comes a day after China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) repeated on Monday, May 6, a previous […]
SUMMARY Have you had a peaceful weekend or were you just as confused about which supposed deal had been struck between Manila and Beijing – and over which shoal? As more than 16,000 Filipino and American troops wrap up their “most ambitious, complicated” war games in the Philippines this week, China has also been accelerating […]
SUMMARY Nitong nakaraang linggo, nagulantang ang marami na totoo pala at may detalye pa ang matagal nang iginigiit ng Chinese embassy na “gentlemen’s agreement” sa pagitan ng administrasyon ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte at gobyerno ni China President Xi Jinping. Sabi nga ng Rappler reporter na si Bea Cupin, “It turns out, Beijing had been […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thumbed down on Monday, May 6, a senator’s suggestion to equip Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships with water cannons as a defense from China’s harassment in the West Philippine Sea. Senate Minority Leader Koko PImentel floated the idea last week as a tit-for-tat move following Beijing’s repeated […]
SUMMARY LAOAG CITY – If China believes in talk and diplomacy to manage tensions, then why isn’t it committing to a date for a dialogue on the West Philippine Sea? Different government sources confirmed that a meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM-SCS) was being worked out for the first […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said on Sunday, May 5, that the Philippines is not a party to any new arrangement with China on managing the situation in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Teodoro made the statement a day after the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Manila […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official said China should be held accountable for environmental damage in and near Pag-asa Island (Thitu), located 300 nautical miles from Palawan. “So, if there is one country that we need to [hold] accountable dito sa damage sa environment na ito, sa ating coral reef dito […]
SUMMARY There’s a new development in Beijing’s claims on issues concerning the West Philippine Sea. After insisting on a “gentleman’s agreement” and a “new mode” in Ayungin Shoal, Chinese officials are introducing a new term: a “temporary special arrangement” on Panatag or Scarborough Shoal. The revelation of another supposed agreement made under the previous Duterte […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Amid an onslaught of revelations, claims, truths, and half-truths from Beijing on the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo wants to make one thing clear: Philippine actions in security, diplomatic, or economic ties are “for our own national purposes or national security” and not to play into superpower competition. […]